Story 07: GW & Outlaw Star: Gundam Outlaw
by Turles
Summary: A huge bounty has come to the attention of the Outlaw Star Crew. The bounty could solve all their problems, but will this bounty be more than what they'll bargain for?
1. The Bounty

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the copyrights to Gundam Wing, Endless Waltz, Outlaw Star, or any songs that are used in this story. All copyrights belong to their respective owners.

****

Readers Note: This contains some spoilers for Outlaw Star, so if you haven't seen the whole series I wouldn't recommend reading this. 

Gundam Wing

&

Outlaw Star

Gundam Outlaw

Chapter 1: The Bounty

**Q **

Preventer Report:

Date: July 30, AC 198

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Name: Id Kushrinada

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Code name: The Lion

****

Report: Nothing has happened since the departure of the pilots known as the Evangelions. However my senses and my own intuition tells me that there might be more. More trouble on the horizon for the office of Preventer. 

However I won't be there to fight. I, Id Kushrinada, son of Treize Kushrinada and pilot of the Gundam Epyon, hereby retire from the office of Preventer. I've already destroyed my Gundam in accordance with the peace laws. As for me, I will retire to the home of Treize Kushrinada, to catch up on old times, make new memories and spend my remaining years.

I wish good luck to those who remain in the office of Preventer. 

****

Q 

Across space, time and dimension a hunt was about to take place.

In the Towards Star System, on a planet called Sentinel 3 and in the city known as Locus was the ship known as the Outlaw Star. It was the fastest and most advanced ship ever constructed. It was long and red like a torpedo except with four engines spread out in a cross like pattern with its ether drive in the center of it. 

This ship belonged to a group of Outlaws. This group was centered around a small business called, "Starwind and Hawking Enterprises", s business that is said to fix anything that could breakdown from tractors to relationships. The office of this fix-it business was in a "hole-in-the-wall" space. It was a small two-story building with a walk-in door next to a garage door with a large yellow star painted above both doors. Across the bottom of the star writing in red were the names "Starwind and Hawking." 

Inside this small business office were the crew of both the Outlaw Star and Starwind and Hawking Enterprises. They were all casually waiting for a job offer to come their way. It was the way of business, at least for this group. 

Lounging on the couch was Gene Starwind, a young red-hair, scar covered Outlaw. He was lying on the couch as if he were sleeping the day away in his clothes and gun holsters that clung to his sides. This man was the captain of the Outlaw Star. One would say that he would be the most unlikely outlaw, but he is an outlaw. 

Sitting across from him and sipping green tea was a young woman who was dressed like a Japanese Geisha. Except she didn't have the make-up, only a wooden sword was sitting next to her like a beloved. This woman is an assassin known as Twilight Sazuka. 

Next to Twilight Sazuka and playing a noisy portable game that screamed, "I want you! I need you!" was a Ctarl-Ctarl named Asia Clan-Clan. Her race, the Ctarl-Ctarl was a noble savage race who lived under the principles of pride. That was evident in the observation that the Kitaru-Kitaru was like a cross between humans and Tigers. This race was renowned for having a nasty temper as well as unbounded strength. Asia on the other hand was almost child-like in her attitude, which showed as she smiled in playing her noisy game.

Across the room through the noise of Asia's game and the smell of sweat and motor oil was the kitchen. There in a wonderful cooking odor that was emanating like the smells of a body oil ship was the quite Melphina. This young beautiful woman was the Outlaw Star's navigator. The only one who can navigate such an advanced system like the Outlaw Star was she. She smiled as she cooked while back in the "family room" there was one more to this team. 

At a nearby desk was a young blonde-hair boy named Jim Hawking who was typing away at a computer. He was Gene's partner, which doesn't mean that they hold hands and walk down the beach. It really means that Jim keeps Gene out of as much trouble that he gets into. That's Jim's nature, always the cautious one and usually the one that spots out profitable jobs, which is what Jim was doing in typing at his computer. He was looking for a profitable job. While Asia played her game, Melphina cooked, Sazuka drank and Gene slept, Jim worked. 

Jim typed at the computer looking for anything that could offer money. He wasn't the kind to be picky, especially since Gene had a debt hanging over his head. The debt was to a broker named Fred Lowe, which totaled up to 1.6 million Wong. It was that number that made Jim desperate to make big bucks, as long as it wasn't anything illegal. 

Just then, something came up on the screen. Just looking at what he saw made Jim's eyes bulge from their sockets. This was it, the break that the crew of the Outlaw Star was looking for. An opportunity to pay off all debts and live like kings just as Gene had always dreamed.

"Gene!" Jim shouted, "Hey Gene!"

Gene stumbled off the couch landing on the coffee table, which did make Asia loose concentration on her came as she lost. While Gene was on the floor Asia started yelling while Sazuka still calmly sipped her green tea. 

"You made me loose, Gene!" Asia shouted, "It's all your fault!" 

"Asia!" Gene called from the wreckage of the coffee table, "Shut up. Can't you see that I'm injured?"

"Don't tell me to shut up!"

Jim couldn't stand it anymore, "Both of you shut up!" 

Asia stared blankly at Jim, so did Melphina from the kitchen and even Sazuka looked over to Jim.

"What is it, Jim?" Asia asked calmly

"I've been trying to tell you that!" Jim shouted, "I finally found our big break to pay off our debts!"

Gene got up from the coffee table wreckage. He rubbed his face that hit the solid wood surface.

"You don't have to keep shouting, Jim." Gene stated as he walked over to the exasperated Jim, "So what's the job and the pay?"

Jim calmed himself and explained, "It's not a job, it's a bounty."

Gene's interest was caught and pulled in, "Whose the bounty head?" He bent down and leaned towards Jim. Jim went back to his computer, while Asia came up behind them to look.

Jim brought up a picture, description and name. He summarized what he saw, "It's a Kei pirate named Hotana." 

Sazuka's attention was grabbed immediately when she heard those words, _Kei Pirate_ and _Hotana._ It caught Sazuka's attention because she has a lot of scores to settle with the Kei Pirates. She wanted in on the action. 

"What's the bounty?" Gene asked

Jim looked down at the price on this mans head, but he couldn't get over the shock of the bounty. He had to read it twice to make sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him. 

"The bounty," Jim read, "Is 100 million Wong."

Sazuka dropped her cup of green tea, it fell to the hard concrete floor with a crash of porcelain and hot tea.

Gene's thick eyebrows raised nearly to the beginning of his hairline, but his own bounty hunter reason kicked in.

"There has to be a catch to this," he said, "What are his crimes?"  
Jim read off his crimes, "My god!" he gasped, "He has a felony list a mile long. Multiple counts of terrorism, theft, murder, arson, rape, kidnapping and nearly every crime that there's a law for. He's considered to be one of the most dangerous men alive."

Gene sneered, "A dangerous guy like that must be hard to find."

"Not really." Jim interrupted, "I have here his exact location but no one's gone after him."

"Why?" Asia asked impatiently 

"Because it is said whoever goes after this guy winds up dead."

"So why should we go after him?" Gene asked

Jim simply answered by putting up a finger with each reason, "One bounty hunting is something we're good at. Two we can get back at the Kei Pirates. Three we can pay off our debt with the bounty and four we can live like kings for the rest of our lives like you've always said."  
Gene shrugged, "I can't argue with that, so Jim let's go see Fred Lowe." 

"Why are we going to see him again?" Jim asked warningly 

"Because," Gene explained, "If were going up against this Kei Pirate, we're going to need some equipment and a lot of weapons."  
"Alright fine." Jim exhaled

Sazuka spoke up about this situation, "You're being pretty confident that you can catch him."

Gene turned to look at Sazuka who looked calm again, even with the tea and cup fragments on the floor.

"Why do you say that?" Gene asked

"I've heard of Hotana, he is said to be an even more powerful Tao master than Hazanko."

Gene grinned, "In that case, I'm going to have to get a shit load of Caster Shells."

"I'm serious, Gene. This is a dangerous man, even the Kei pirates are afraid of him."

Asia dashed over to Sazuka's side and hugged her, "You still sound like a worry-wart, Suzu." 

Sazuka was extremely annoyed by Asia calling her that nickname, but her frustration never showed. 

She simply said, "Please stop calling me that."

Gene stretched his arms up and smiled, "it's settled, Jim get the car ready."

"Got it." Jim saluted smiling and dashed out the door to the street where the car was parked. 

Gene walked over to where Melphina was cooking. The first thing he laid his eyes on was that the pots and pans were set off of the burners. He looked ahead and saw Melphina was fully dressed and ready to go.

The two didn't say a word to each other. They simply smiled and walked hand in hand to the door while Sazuka and Asia were already making their way out. Gene and Melphina walked over to the A-afro, a hot rod of a sports car. The crew of the Outlaw Star climbed in while Gene locked up the shop. They were heading to Huge, the city were Fred Lowe's business was set up. This was Gene's money source. 

In the car ride a question came up from Jim.

"Hey, Gene?" He called with the wind whipping over the car.

"Yeah?" Gene asked

"You do know that Fred might not have Caster Shells."

"I know," Gene answered, his face was serious, he knew what they had to do, "If that happens then were going to have to head to Planet Tenrei again."

The thought of going back to Tenrei didn't appeal to Gene. There was a good reason for it. The last time he was there, he had fallen into several prank traps on the snow slopes of a mountain. Then to add to that, he was at that snow covered mountain in a T-shirt and a Speedo all because he wanted to speak to the wizards of Tenrei to get his caster shells. So he knew that he'd have to go back there to get some more. 

"That's not what concerns me, Gene." Jim stated.

Of course, Jim wasn't concerned about going back to Tenrei, he did have a fun time while he was there. 

"What then?" Gene asked

Jim formulated his concern, "What concerns me is what Fred's price will come to once we get the supplies and weapons we need."

"We'll find out when we get there."

****

Q 

Hugo;

Fred Lowe's office had a collection of different weapons along the walls as well as in different display cases. Each display case was set up like church pews that lead up to Fred Lowe's golden desk. He sat behind his desk looking at the crew of the Outlaw Star. Particularly Gene and Jim.

"My, my." He smiled, "Gene and Jim. How much money did you come to ask for today?"

"We don't have time for that Fred." Gene stated, "We just found the biggest bounty we ever heard of. The total is extremely big and our loan to you will be paid off once we nab him."

"Oh?' Fred asked as he scratched his right ear behind a lock of his long black hair, "How big of a bounty?"

"100 million Wong." Jim answered

Fred smiled, "There's no need to be formal with me Gene. Have I ever turned you down? What do you need?"

"I've put a list together."

Gene handed the list over to Fred, which contained a good amount of ammunition, missiles, equipment and so on. Fred quickly got out his calculator and tallied up the amount for this list. He also added it to the 1.6 million Wong this bunch already owed him.

"The total comes to an even 5 million Wong." He stated

Gene smiled, "Will you give that stuff to us?"

"Of course I will, Gene, but keep in mind that if you don't bring back this huge bounty head of yours then you'll owe me even more money. So, I'll send the stuff over to the space dock within the hour, however the Caster shells I can't give."

"Suits me just fine." Gene answered, "I'll just go back to Tenrei and get some there."  
"Very well Gene, Bon Voyage." Fred winked. 

****

Q 

It was all done within a matter of days. The supplies from Fred Lower were loaded into the Outlaw Star. It was fully loaded and armed to the teeth, so was Gene and his crew. Gene had belt loads of caster shells that the wizards of Tenrei gave to him. However they didn't forget his last visit, though Gene explained whom he was going after and the Wizards gave them over to him immediately. They told him that Hotana, the Kei Pirate had given them a lot of trouble a ways back but using their powers they did fight the pirate and escaped. However, Gene had other plans for this pirate. Now he was fighting for several and not just to pay off his own debts. 

Now all that was left was to proceed to the place that the Kei Pirate Hotana was said to be. Inside the Outlaw Star cockpit, Gene sat in the pilots' seat while the others sat in their own seat around Gene. Except Melphina who was in a tube of red water, naked, that stood behind gene. This was how Melphina navigated the Outlaw Star. 

All was calm, except Gene, he grew anxious.

"Gilliam." He c called

Gilliam was the ships computer and in a certain sense, he was also part of the Outlaw Star crew.

"Yes, Gene." Gilliam answered over the speakerphones

"How long till we get there?"

Jim spoke out, "you've asked that six times so quit it."

"It's alright, Jim." Gilliam said, "We will arrive in approximately one hour."

"Feels like an eternity." Gene moaned. 

****

Q 

In a remote part of space, a plan of a different type was being hatched.

Floating in space like a jewel in water was a ring. It was enormous, its diameter was the size of a football stadium. The rings thickness was the same a floor of an office building and this enormous ring floated in stationary thanks to the either pirate grappler ships. Each one held its edge in their grappler arms making sure that the ring didn't move in any direction. Though each grappler ship was unmanned. All of them were controlled from one ship that sat a few hundred miles away from the ring. 

The ship that sat all that distance from the ring looked remarkably similar to the Outlaw Star. The only difference was that the ship had fins like a shark and its hull was painted a dark green like thick forest foliage. The ship name was the Ki and its captain and only passenger was the Kei Pirate Hotana. 

Hotana was in his late forties with his gray streaked beard coming down his chest in a straight manner with no stray hairs going in any direction except straight down. His hairline had already receded to the back of his head with his hair reaching down to his shoulders. His deeply set brown eyes looked past the full-circle framed glasses at the controls. His uniform was a brown robe over his white clothes, with the pirate guild symbol so large over his chest that it covered nearly his entire chest.

This man was the most dangerous individual alive; a man with that 100 million Wong bounty on his head. Yet many would-be and veteran bounty hunters tried to catch him. None succeeded, they all died, thanks to Hotana's unique style of Shin-Jitsu, the super power of the Pirate guild. Even with such power, it had its side effects on his body. The stronger the power got the more drastic the aging effects. That was why he looked so old even though he was in his early forties.

He sat at the captains' chair of the Ki looking at the progress of the gate. 

"Shin." He called to the ships computer, his voice sounding chilling to the kindest of ears, "Is it complete?"

Shin answered, "Yes, Master. You may begin."

"Good." Hotana said as he brought his hands together to begin use of his power.

"Pacowa Sumfa, Pacowa Sumfa." He chanted, 

All around him and the ship, a glow of a bright blue hue began to emanate. As Hotana continued to chant the luminosity of the glow began to grow stronger and stronger. 

Then the glow began to flow towards the nose of the Kit until only the nose was glowing. Then it shot out through the ring like a flashlight beam through a hole. But the beam didn't go through the ring entirely, it began to collect within the center of the ring. It pooled in the ring until the entire blue glow had left Hotana and the ship and nestled in center of the ring.

"Pacow Sumfa!" Hotana shouted keeping his hands together, and the gate opened.

The tear was now there, it sat in the middle of the right, centered perfectly with it diamond points touching the ring. Inside the tear, Hotana could see a planet, a blue-green planet that had no signs of pollution of any kind. This was a perfect world for him to come to.

"It's done." Hotana smiled with the look of evil in his eyes, "Now to loot and plunder this universe."

Beep! Beep!

"Master Hotana." Shin called, "A ship is coming out of Sub-Ether Space."

"Let's see it." Hotana commanded 

On the screen he saw with his own eyes the ship that had been stolen from his guild. The XGP-15A2; The Outlaw Star. Hotana had heard of the outlaw who pilots that ship, a man who was said to have killed the Tao Master Hazanko. Hotana knew that he was much more powerful than the outlaw was, but his ship isn't as powerful as the Outlaw Star. To add to that, he had used up nearly all his strength in opening the tear. The only option was escape.

"Shin!" He called, "Let's go!" 

"Understood." Shin concurred 

****

Q 

On the Outlaw Star, Gene and the others saw the Ki; the worker ships, the ring and the tear. Though their attention was drawn more towards the Ki, Gilliam was running his scans on the tear.

"That area within that ring is odd." He stated, "my sensors are picking up a planet."  
Gene heard this but was puzzled, "A planet?" He asked, "All I see is just space."

The attention from the ring was brought back to the Ki when it began to move slowly into the ring.

Jim saw this, "Gene! That ship is getting away!"  
"I'm on it!" Gene complied as he forced the engines of the Outlaw Star to their 100 percent in chasing the Ki. With each mile of space that they crossed the Ki was still getting away.

"You won't get away, you bastard!" Gene shouted as he pushed the engines even harder bringing their output to 140 percent.

As the Ki pushed through the tear, it vanished. It truly had worked as Hotana had hoped, he had opened the door to another world all for him to loot and plunder for the pirate guild. 

Before the Outlaw Star or even Gene could think twice about where they were going, they too were heading for the tear. As the engine output was at its over maximum 140 percent the crew saw the planet.

"So." Gene thought, "That's the planet, but there are no planets in this part of space."  
The sound of Jim's panicked voice broke Gene's line of thought.

"Gene!" He screamed, "We're going to crash!"  
But Jim's attempts were only in vain, the Outlaw Star had made it to the tear, it shoved it's way through to the other side of the tear. As the last of the Outlaw Star had gone through, the tear had closed behind him leaving only the ring in empty space of the Toward Star System. Both ships had entered into a completely different universe. 

To be continued…

****

Author's Notes: Originally I wanted to make an Outlaw Star fan fiction on its own, then I tried to write it and it never exactly got off the ground. Even before Outlaw Star was aired on Cartoon Network, I didn't know what to make of it. I had said that I might not write a fan fiction on it, but then I got more involved with it and I began to like it. So now here's what I've done with it. Though I did have to do some research here and there, such as on a cut episode that I heard about. It was an episode called, "Hot Springs Planet Tenrei", apparently Cartoon Network didn't want to show it. So I went to a few web sites to find out more about it and I found out that in that episode it talked about some of the crucial information about the Caster gun, Caster shells and how they are made. But enough of that in this one I decided to try to have it start out with a solution to the Outlaw Star crew that seems so good that it must be a fake. A solution that could solve all of their debts and help them live like kinds for the rest of their lives. But this solution might be more trouble than they think. 

Come back soon for more chapters of **_Gundam Outlaw_**


	2. The Strangers

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Disclaimer: I do not own the copyrights to Gundam Wing, Endless Waltz, Outlaw Star, or any songs that are used in this story. All copyrights belong to their respective owners.

****

Readers Note: This contains some spoilers for Outlaw Star, so if you haven't seen the whole series I wouldn't recommend reading this. 

Gundam Wing

&

Outlaw Star

Gundam Outlaw

Chapter 2: The Strangers 

**Q **

Meanwhile, an hour earlier, in the universe Hotana had broken into, the Office of Preventer were simply going about their daily routine. However, the office of Preventer was missing one person. That person was Id the Lion. He simply left for personal reasons. At least that's what he told his co-workers. 

This as well as a different matter was what Johan and his wife Haruka was discussing in the mobile suit bay of the newly fitted and redesigned ship, Tabris. 

Tabris had been remade on itself to make it a little bit smaller than it is original version. Not only that but its gun turrets had been removed as well as several of its decks. It had shrunk from its 1000 foot length to 500 feet long as well as from its original 200 feet high down to a 150 foot height, giving it only 15 decks. Now, the ship that was the enormous heavy battle carrier named Exodus was now the Preventer Starship/mobile suit carrier Tabris. 

In the mobile suit bay, Johan worked on his Gundam inside the cockpit. He overviewed the different parts to see if the Gundam itself was completely in tact. Each part seemed to be working just as Johan had hoped.

His attention was drawn away from his Gundam to the open cockpit door. He saw his wife Haruka sitting cross-legged on the cockpit platform. She was smiling at him. 

Johan took his hands away from the controls and set them on his lap, "What is it, Haruka?" He asked

Haruka's eyes wandered like a child nervously asking her parent for something. Her eyes came back to Johan and she asked, "I'd like to be a pilot again."

This statement slightly stunned Johan, it had nearly been a year or maybe two since Haruka had the Gundam Nemesis. Does she really want to do this?

"Are you sure that you want to be a pilot again?" Johan asked

Haruka climbed into the cockpit with Johan, she threw her arms around him and brought her face close to his.

"I know, you said you didn't want to loose me again," she reminded Johan, "But I've piloted mobile suits for a long time and I want to take back the controls and feel that raw power all around me."  
Johan smiled and joked, "You mean you want to feel the power between your legs?"

Haruka smiled again, "No, I get plenty of that from you."

"Haruka," Johan spoke seriously but still kept his smile, "It's alright with me."

Haruka kissed Johan, "Thank you, love."

"Thank me later on tonight."

"But the question is, do you still have the plans for Nemesis?"

Johan nodded, "We can even use the Gundam Fire and make it into the Gundam Nemesis."

Haruka winked, "Let's go talk to Lady Une."

****

Q 

"On-Call pilot?" Haruka asked loudly

Johan and Haruka stood in front of Lady Une's desk that was within the bulkheads of Tabris, yet the room did have its windows out into the depths of space. The windows were behind Lady Une's desk, she sat in front of those windows looking at the couple and hearing their request. The request to make Haruka Tenou Rodriguez a new Gundam pilot for Preventer. However Lady Une's decision was less than what Haruka had expected.

"Haruka," Lady Une began, "You're skills at mobile suit repair is essential here. To loose you in battle would be too great to risk. That is why I'm only assigning you to an On-Call pilot, you'll serve as a back up if one of our mobile suits is damaged or one of the pilots are injured."

Haruka felt this kind of disappointment before; she felt it in the days of Oz when she couldn't be in the infantry because of the whole policy of women in combat. So she had to settle for the women's mobile suit infantry units. This was history repeating itself and she was as powerless as before, she had to comply.

"I understand." She said

Hearing that tone in her voice Johan laid his gentle hand on her shoulder. The two looked into each other's eyes. Johan had the look in his eyes that said, "it's alright, Haruka. You'll be alright."

"You'll need a code name if you're going to be a pilot." Lady Une explained, "Have you chosen one?"  
Haruka snapped her attention back to the part about the code name. She already thought of one, it was the literal translation of her name. She cleared her throat when she looked across the room to Lady Une behind her large Oak desk. 

"I have, Lady Une." She said, "I choose the code name, Preventer Sky King."

Lady Une raised her eyes brows, "That's not exactly politically correct for a woman to assume the name of king, is it? Why not, Sky Queen?" 

"Sky King, is the English translation of my name, Lady Une. And just because my reproductive organs are on the inside instead of out, doesn't mean I can't take half of what the others can."

"She proves that conclusively, Lady Une." Johan spoke for his wife

Lady Une nodded with a smile creeping across her face, "Alright. I'll input the data, in the meantime, I'm assigning you to the Gundam Vindicator until we can build the Gundam Nemesis."

"Thank you, Ma'am." Haruka smiled as she walked out with Johan's arms wrapping around her waist. 

The two were already out in the hallway when Johan had to strike up the first words.

"That went well." He smiled

****

Q 

At the controls was the ship navigator, Al. He was the Tabris AICGH, Artificial Intelligence Computer Generated Hologram. In other words Al was hooked up to all systems onboard the Tabris. For now his course was set to the coordinates of Colony L-9 to re-supply. Not only that but to give the Preventer Gundams and Desbats a chance to relax. Since L-9 is famous for its tourist attractions, a sort of Space Las Vegas. 

Beep!

Al detected something from the sensors. It was ships and two of them. According to the sensors they just appeared out of no where. The computer couldn't figure out what happened and neither could Al. All al could do is call the others.

"Lady Une!" He called, "get to the bridge, we've got company."

Al didn't know where these ships came from but the computer tried to identify them. The analysis of the ships registry, type and propulsion came back unknown. 

"Unknown?" Al asked himself

Lady Une came through the doors and sat in the captains' chair, "What is it, Al?" She asked

Al brought up the two unknown ships onto the screen.

"These two," He introduced, "Computer identifies them as unknown and they appeared out of nowhere." 

Lady Une gazed at the two ships, one red and the other deep green. Neither one looked familiar to her. There were no other secret Oz experiments for ships like these. They were more concerned with mobile suits. 

The ships came out of nowhere, Lady Une thought, it must be another tear. 

"Open a channel." Lady Une ordered

But her order came too late, she watched as the two chips sprouted arms. Yes, mechanized arms that were connected to each ship. The two "armed" ships began to fight each other using these arms. Lady Une watched thinking about what kind of Universe these ships came from. What use for those arms there were other than fighting?

"Lady Une." Al announced, "we have a call coming from the red ship, audio only."  
"Put it through." Lady Une ordered concerned about what she'll hear.

The audio came through; it was crackling with the voices of people grunting as if being tossed around in a car without seatbelts. 

"This is the Outlaw Star." A voice came through, "I'm asking for assistance."

Lady Une replied, "Outlaw Star, we're dispatching a team right now."  
She dashed to the onboard microphone next to Al's station. She pressed the talk button. 

"Attention Preventer Gundams! Scramble! I repeat, Scramble, get to your Gundams. The target is a dark green ship. Try to stop it at all costs." 

****

Q 

Johan and Haruka who were in the mobile suit bay heard the message. Johan had already finished work on his Gundam. Haruka on the other hand had it easy, the only task she need to do was to enter her voice print into Vindicator. 

The call was heard, both Haruka and Johan got suited up for space combat. While the other Gundams dashed in one after the other, Heero, Trowa, Quatre, Wufei, Duo and Alexandria. All got to their Gundams and prepared to launch.

"Haruka." Johan called as Ryu started up

"Yes, Johan." She answered

"Be careful out there."

"Hey, you know me."  
"That's what worries me." Johan thought to himself. 

****

Q 

Back on the Outlaw Star, events have turned to surreal. First they were after a big bounty but now they were in a grappler fight with an enormous ship only a short distance away. 

Gene fought fiercely against the Ki but the fight was coming out even between the two of them. The only thing that was lost between the two of them was ammunition. They brought the fight down to a mechanical version of a boxing match. They had their grappler arms out and they made punches against each other against their hulls, scratching the pain and making dents. 

"Gene." Jim called, "Are you sure it was wise to ask for assistance like that? We don't know who these people are."

"If you have a better idea, I'd like to hear it."

Melphina called to Gene, "8 objects are closing in at 1800 feet to starboard."

Gene looked to his right to see what was coming. He could only see 8 get streams coming toward this battlefield. He tried to strain his eyes but Gilliam magnified the oncoming objects. Now Gene saw them, he saw robots, at the sight of them a million ideas of what these robots are as well as their function. Just as Gene regained his place the cockpit began beeping.

"Incoming message on audio." Gilliam stated

"Put it through." Gene ordered as he restarted his fight with the Ki. 

A voice came through, it sounded young yet serious.

"Outlaw Star." The voice said, "We're here to assist you. So, let's rock and roll!"

That last part of _let's rock and roll_ sounded pleasing to Gene, he felt that these people would be friends in catching this bounty head. 

****

Q 

Johan and Heero lead the Preventer Gundams to the Ki. Before any of them attacked it a recap of the mission was made. Quatre who was always the sensible one even on the battlefield called out to the others.

"All of you know what to do." He reiterated, "Disable the green ship but leave the red ship alone."

"Understood." All of the Gundams complied in unison.

The attack began on the Ki from all fronts, from the Gundams and the Outlaw Star. The Gundams with their beam weapons out and ready to slice anything that came their way. The Outlaw Star had it's arms out with it's weapons of an Uzi-like Gun in one hand and a battle-axe in the other. 

The first one to make an attack on the Ki was Haruka in the Vindicator. She came over the Ki like a man playing leapfrog. 

She came over the ships cockpit with the Vindicator's beam sword in hand and her head completely clear to her objective. She knew that the Ki had to be disabled and the best way to do that was to cut off the arms leaving it unarmed. The path was clear, she could see the grappler arms. All she had to do was cut them off in one swift move. 

She watched the grappler arms move with inhuman speed and the next sensation she felt as being held. She moved the controls but nothing moved. She looked and saw the grappler arms held the Vindicator in its grasp. 

Haruka looked around and saw the inner white lights of the cockpit began to blare red, on and off. On and off the red lights came. She watched this from behind the plastic view of her helmet and wondered what was going on. 

"Warning." Midas called, "Warning, detecting bombs attaching to hull, please advise to remove them immediately."

"Bombs?" Haruka asked, "Where?"

****

Q 

The Gundams and the Outlaws watched as the helpless Vindicator was being held in the grasp of the most dangerous pirate known within the Towards Star System. They saw the Ki holding the Vindicator above it's hull and watched as several objects moved out of the Ki and attach themselves to the Vindicator. The helpless mobile suit could only sit there and wait for whatever was going to happen. 

"What's going on, Gene?" Jim asked

Gene smirked, "It's obvious that he wants to kill our newly made allies."

"So, what are you going to do?" Asia asked from the back

"I'm going to blow him to hell."

Gene took the controls and aimed at the grappler arms. But he didn't want to hit the robot. He aimed right at the joints of the arms. The target center was green only for a few seconds and then it became red when he squeezed the trigger.

The bullets flew out of the gun at the right grappler arm. The bullets flew out and severed both grappler arms like legs off a crab.

Gene didn't know that it was already too late. The bombs were on their final countdown. 

****

Q 

On the Vindicator, time was growing shorter for Haruka. As quickly as she could, she strapped on her helmet and began to breathe the concentrated air from the oxygen tank. 

"I'm sorry, Midas. I'm going to have to leave you." She apologized

"If I had emotions." Midas stated coldly, "Then I would feel sorry too."

Haruka reached down for the handle, the black and yellow handle. This was the trigger for the ejection system for the Gundam Vindicator. All she had to do was sit strapped into the chair and pull the lever. But she had to be quick; she only had 10 seconds left. Only 10 seconds until the bombs that the Ki had strapped to the Vindicators hull would go off.

10…

She pulled the lever and felt the chair rocket itself forward. At first it felt like an elephant was pushing her back into the seat. The sensation of going forward soon became a tumbling sensation as if rolling down a hill with no sense of direction or being.

9…

8…

7…

Haruka held her eyes shut, she didn't want to look at the blast that was soon to come from the bombs. She knew that the time was close. Yet she didn't see the escaping grappler ship. The Ki was escaping with the Outlaw Star chasing it.

6…

5…

4…

Johan had watched the whole event unfold before his eyes. History was repeating itself and this time he would witness it. All the bad memories flooded back into Johan's mind. That day he came home to find Haruka dead. Only this time he knew that there was no guarantee of her coming back.

3…

Johan pushed the engines of the Gundam Ryu forward making them burn red hot. He saw the cockpit eject but he didn't' know how much time was left.

2…

The Gundam Ryu outstretched its hand and grabbed the ejected seat.

1…

The Outlaw Star was closing in on the Ki. Just as it's nose was closing in on the Ki it vanished. It was as if the ship known as the Ki and the man known as Hotana were all an illusion. This whole bounty chase across space and a different universe was just a mirage. Or was it? 

0.

The Gundam Vindicator flashed a white light and the blast was enough to feel the shock within a good distance. Every pilot and even the crew of the Outlaw Star was far enough away to avoid the blast. It seemed unnaturally large, like someone had stuffed enough explosives into the Vindicator to increase its explosive power at least 3 fold. The Outlaw Star itself had its back turned to the explosion but the blast had reached them and shook them in their seats. 

Meanwhile, Johan had already suited himself up for space and breathed in the concentrated air from the oxygen tank. He stepped out into the coldness of space; he climbed down into the Gundams hand and looked into the ejector seat. There he saw his wife strapped into the seat and not moving. He looked past the plastic of her helmet and to her young face that looked so peaceful as if she were asleep. If this weren't space Johan would have kissed her. 

"Haruka." He called

Haruka didn't move or answer

"Haruka!" Johan called again and hugged her, he hoped to God that she wasn't dead. The very thought of loosing her was too much for him to even swallow. 

"Johan to Preventer Ship Tabris." He called through the COM system in his suit, "I need a medical team out here and quick! My wife isn't responding." 

****

Q 

In the aftermath of the attack by the Ki, open talks were made between the Presenters and the Outlaws. In the meeting room of the Preventer ship Tabris, the Outlaws had come aboard. 

The Outlaws sat at one end of the conference table while the Preventer officers sat at the other end. Though the only one who was absent from this meeting was Johan and Haruka. Those two were in sick bay, at least Haruka was, and Johan on the other hand was just there at his wife's side. 

Introductions were made starting with the Outlaws.

"My name is Gene Starwind." Gene smiled

"I'm James Hawking," Jim introduced, "Jim to my friends."

"I'm Sazuka." Sazuka bowed. 

"My name is Asia Clan-Clan." Asia winked

"How do you do?" Melphina asked, "My name is Melphina."

Lady Une too the initiative, "It is good to meet all of you, I'm Representative Une, but I'm called Lady Une here. These gathered around me are the officers of Preventer, you may introduce yourselves."

Heero stared blankly, "My name is Heero Yuy, it's a pleasure."

Duo smiled, "I'm Duo Maxwell"

Trowa closed his eyes, or eye from what the visitors could see, "My name is Trowa, Trowa Barton."

Quatre smiled at the new ones across the table, "My name is Quatre Raberba Winner."

Wufei looked at them with calm, plotting eyes, "My name is Wufei Chang." 

"My name is Zechs Marquise." Miliardo stared 

"Me name is Alexandria DeLarge." Alex winked

"I'm Kazuki Peacecraft." Kazuki smiled looking at the Outlaws with his good eye

"My name is Rashim."

"I'm Howard, nice to meet you."

Jim did notice something about the officers of Preventer; he wanted to know the names of the two who were taken away when they docked.

"Who were the others?" Jim asked

"Those," Lady Une explained, "Were Johan Peacecraft Rodriguez and his wife Haruka Tenou Rodriguez."

Jim turned slightly to Gene, "A guy that young is married?" He whispered

Gene only shrugged.

"Let's get to it." Duo stated, "How did you guys get here?"

Jim explained as best as he could since he was unfamiliar with the technology that Hotana had used.

"We came here though a gate that someone had constructed." He said, "We're after this pirate named Hotana, who was attacking us in that green ship. We're after him because of the price on his head."

"A pirate?" Kazuki narrowed his good eye.

"Right," Sazuka agreed, "He's considered by many to be a very dangerous man. And now he has access to a different technology there's no telling what he'll do." 

"So," Lady Une inserted, "your after this man named Hotana because of a bounty?"  
Jim stood up from his end of the table, "It's not just any bounty, it's the biggest one we've come across in a very long time."

Quatre looked at the Outlaws from the Preventer end of the table. He thought out a plan, "We'll help track down this man with you."

"That'll be the tough part." Gene shrugged, "He's as much new to this place as we are. So we'll have no idea of where to look."  


It is true they didn't know if Hotana had come to this Universe before or if this was his first time. If this was his first time then this universe must be overwhelming or it could be like taking a trip back in time to the time when people lived in caves to him. That would be realized once they go up against him.

"We can't start looking for him now." Trowa asserted, "Our supplies are low and we need to build that Gundam that Johan had planned. We also need to try and heal Haruka if we will go up against this man again."

"Trowa's right." Duo nodded, "We have to be over 100 percent in our fighting."

The Outlaws looked at each other and couldn't refuse. Trying to refuse the help or the aid of these people could be considered an insult. None among the Outlaws were the kind to turn down anything especially if it was in the aide of getting more money. This especially applied to Gene above all else. 

Lady Une looked towards Howard, "How long until we reach Colony L-9?"

"About…" Howard Calculated in his mind how long it would take, "About 9 hours."

"Good, so this is our task officers of Preventer, we aid these Outlaws in apprehending this man, return him to his own space, heal Haruka and build her a Gundam. Understood?"

"Understood." The Presenters' said in unison.

"Mission accepted." Heero said calmly. 

To be continued . . .

****

Author's Notes: I figured that I should make Johan's wife a Gundam Pilot again, I mean she was a pilot once so she should have that privilege again. Even though Johan is scared to death to loose her on the battlefield he has to realize that she too is a person who wants something out of life like he does. Though this latest incident with his wife being attacked by the Kei Pirate named Hotana, Johan is now being put the test of the possibility of loosing his beloved again. 

Come back soon for more chapters of **_Gundam Outlaw_**


	3. The Lost Soldier

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the copyrights to Gundam Wing, Endless Waltz, Outlaw Star, or any songs that are used in this story. All copyrights belong to their respective owners.

****

Readers Note: This contains some spoilers for Outlaw Star, so if you haven't seen the whole series I wouldn't recommend reading this. 

Gundam Wing

&

Outlaw Star

Gundam Outlaw

Chapter 3: The Lost Soldier 

****

Q 

In sick bay, Johan sat next to Haruka's bed. The doctor had reported to him that Haruka's condition was fine but she was in a coma. It would have to be up to Haruka herself to come out of it. To Johan, it felt like history had truly repeated itself. He felt as helpless as a quadriplegic wanting to move but unable to. 

From behind Johan, his best friend Duo Maxwell walked in. Duo, being unsure as to what to say to Johan, because all of this was all too familiar. Ultimately, Duo decided to just call.

"Hey, Johan." He called

Johan slowly stood up, turned and looked at Duo. His face already had some signs of tears. The redness in the corneas of his eyes, the wetness down his cheeks and the sniffling he made.

Johan cleared his throat and dried his tears, "What is it, Duo?" He asked

Duo felt tongue tied, he couldn't think of anything appropriate to say. He simply decided to report the plan of action.

"We're on our way to Colony L-9 to re-supply." He stated. Duo thought that he should invite Johan to the fun that Colony L-9 has to offer, but it seemed inappropriate to do that. To take Johan away from his injured wife only to have fun.

"I know, Duo." Johan said.

He sat back in the seat next to his wife's bed.

There were more visitors for Johan and his wife. It was Asia and Melphina from the Outlaw Star. Asia came to offer her own kind of Ctarl-Ctarl pep talk. Melphina came to offer Johan and his wife help. 

Asia came in and walked up to Duo who was looking at Johan sitting in a metal fold-up chair and Haruka in her hospital bed. 

Duo looked to his left and asked Asia quietly, "What are you doing here?"

Asia smiled with a curled-up fist at her chest, "I'm going to aid a fellow warrior with help of a Ctarl-Ctarl, like Asia."

Duo shook his head; "The only way to get him back up is for his wife to wake up."

Asia didn't listen she went over to Johan and lay her hand on his head. She rubbed her hand in Johan's hair as if he was a seven-year-old kid.

"Don't worry," She said, "It'll work out." Her tone then changed from nurturing to a tone less than a drill Sargent when Johan didn't say anything to her, "What are you going to do? Someone tried to kill your wife and you're going to sit there and cry? To a Ctarl-Ctarl this attitude of yours is all wrong. A Ctarl-Ctarl never gives up. To a Ctarl-Ctarl its all about justice, courage and tenacity!"

As Asia was droning on and on like a politician, Duo grew more and more annoyed with this. Then, the dam broke, Duo walked in front of Asia with his face so annoyed and angered that one could say that the devil himself had manifested himself. 

"Would the real Slim Shaddy," He shouted, "Please shut up! Please, shut up! Please, shut up!"

This interruption annoyed Asia even more, "Don't tell me to shut up!" She shouted

Johan quickly stood up and drew out his guns and held them out far enough for both Duo and Asia to see.

"Duo," Johan said calmly, "Could you please leave. I need to be alone with Haruka."

"What about her?" Duo pointed to Asia

"I'll deal with it."

Duo left the room quietly leaving Johan to deal with a Ctarl-Ctarl. If Jim Hawking were in that room he'd say that Johan would be crazy to pick a fight with a Ctarl-Ctarl. 

"As for you." Johan snarled with the silver gun (Star Dragon) at the side of Asia's head and the black gun (The Angel Arm) in Asia's gut, "Have you no respect? I appreciate your help but, get out!"

For some odd reason Asia felt a certain amount of fear. It was a feeling that she wasn't very familiar with, but she knew it. It wasn't the fear of a human being it was the fear of what he might do. She saw how these kids fought in those robots called Gundams, but she didn't have a clue of how they fight outside of the Gundam. It was that unknown factor that scared her.

So she left muttering, "When people can accept kindness gracefully, it'll be all over for humanity." 

After Asia left, the only one's left in the room with Johan and Haruka was Melphina. She was scarred witless to see a boy that young draw out guns like that. She didn't know if she would be his next target, but she wasn't. Johan holstered his guns, pulled up his metal folding chair and sat back down.

Slowly, Melphina stepped around Haruka's bed. She tiptoed to a point where Johan was across the bed. Melphina looked at Johan and she didn't see a warrior like Asia saw, she only saw a boy who was alone, saddened and in pain. 

"Johan." She called

"Yes." Johan answered

"I think I can help."

This suggestion lit up Johan's face as if it were the greatest news he could ever hear. He looked up at Melphina and he had to know. 

"How?" He asked

"Follow me, and bring your wife with you."

This was truly an offer that Johan couldn't refuse. He had to comply for the sake of his wife. He reached down feeling under the warm body of his wife. His left arm inched under her legs and his right under her back. He lifted her feeling her sleeping weight in his arms and he followed this stranger named Melphina. 

****

Q 

Johan followed Melphina into the docked Outlaw Star. The way it was docked was not in the same manner as the mobile suits. It sat suspended by its anchor cables stretching and connecting to the ceilings and walls like a mobile hanging delicately from a ceiling. 

Under normal circumstances, Johan would have taken the time to admire the uniqueness of the Outlaw Star, but it wasn't normal circumstances. Johan was too consumed by the mystery that lay within Melphina's suggestion. He followed her to the bridge, an oblong room with several seats and a hatch. The hatch looked like the opening for a submarine, a round dome on the floor with a door hinge. 

Melphina looked toward the front of the bridge, "Gilliam." She called

"Yes," a male sounding voice called, "What is it, Melphina?"

"Open the navigation hatch."

The submarine door that lay on the floor opened only to show darkness. Johan looked into it as if looking into a bottomless well. He looked to Melphina wondering what he was supposed to do next. His eyes then locked with Melphina's. 

"Get in." She said

Johan looked and saw something odd; it looked like a platform was coming up through the hole. At first Johan couldn't' think, all of this was too surreal for him, but if was for his wife. He stepped onto the circular platform; he prepped up his wife into a standing position so that they could fit. Then he felt it jerk downward into this well. The platform moved down more and more until Johan's were past eye level with the floor. His head had passed the lid of the well and when he looked around all he could see was darkness except for that hole of light above his head. Above him he saw the smiling face of Melphina. 

"It'll be fine." She said

And the hatch closed. 

****

Q 

Johan was swallowed by the darkness, yet it wasn't cold. He felt warmth, all around he felt warm even with Haruka still propped up into a standing position in his arms. At the same time he didn't feel her weight, it was as if they were both in zero G. 

Within an instant, Johan felt wet at his feet. He didn't know what to think of it, but it made him think of a magician's trick where he puts himself in a tank of water with a straight jacket. At first Johan wanted to curse though the hatch at that temptress Melphina for drowning him and his wife. The wetness was creeping quickly up to his ankles, then to his thighs, waist and chest. 

His thoughts told him, "Get out! Get out you stupid bastard! You'll drown!"

Even with all these warnings, signs and thoughts to call for help, Johan did nothing. He simply stood where he was holding Haruka in his arms and waited.

The water felt even warmer, one would say that it was like being in the womb again. Yet when Johan breathed he felt the water flood into his lungs. He could breathe in this water, whatever it was.

When the water was all around him he started to feel as if his senses were awakening but at the same time he felt alone.

"Haruka." He called, "come back to me. I don't want to be alone. Death would be better than to live without you. Please, come back, Haruka!"

The darkness soon became light, and Johan was standing in the middle of a grassy plain. He looked in all directions and all he could see was rolling hills of green grass. Off in the far distance were the snow-capped mountain ranges. Flowing around Johan was the wind making the green grass around him into a sea of green. Above he could see endless blue skies and floating white clouds. 

"Where am I?" He asked himself.

As he did he heard a song in the distance; he looked to his left and hear the same lyrics that were in his heart ever since he was married to Haruka.

_Hey Jude._

Don't make it bad.

Take a sad song and make it better

Remember to let her into your heart

Then you can start

To make it better.

Johan ran to where the music was coming from. He ran over one of the rolling hills and there was Haruka, sitting in one of the small valleys between the hills. He saw Haruka picking flowers in this little valley.

"Haruka." He called

Haruka looked up at Johan, she had flowers in her hands but she dropped them softly into the green grass when she held her arms wide open. 

"Come to me, my love!" She called up to Johan.

Johan came rushing down the hillside and into Haruka's arms. The two embraced each other in the middle of all this nothingness. 

"Johan." Haruka whispered, "I wanted you to come to me."

This statement confused Johan; it was as if Haruka had planned this out the whole time.

"What do you mean?" He asked

"After the explosion," Haruka explained, "the only thought that was going through my mind was you. I thought about everything that's happened to me. Do you know how close I was to becoming a cold woman? Then you came to me, a young Gundam pilot who had lost more than he would ever have imagined. I saw the vulnerability in you after you showed me how you could fight. I fell in love with that, now that I'm a pilot again I wanted to see if it would change anything between us. Now that you've come for me, I know that it hasn't and it never will. You're a miracle to me, Johan."

She squeezed her arms around his waist even tighter.

"I would say the same things to you, Haruka." Johan smiled, "Please come back with me and let us spend the last of our days together."

****

Q 

On the bridge of the Outlaw Star, the crew of this ship as well as the officers of Preventer sat around waiting for Johan and Haruka to come back out from under that submarine hatch. While they had waited they were talking amongst each other. 

The one who started things off the most inappropriately was Wufei who noticed something that irritated him, "You're crew is mostly women?" He asked Gene.

"Yeah." Gene answered truthfully

"Is there something wrong with that?" Jim asked

Wufei shook his head with his eyes close; "I always felt that women never had a very good sense of fighting."

In Wufei's arrogance he didn't see Sazuka quickly bring up her wooden sword and swing it at Wufei's head. In that instant Wufei opened his eyes and with all the speed in his hands he slapped them onto the blade of Sazuka's sword. 

Sazuka stood in amazement. 

"See what I mean?" Wufei asked

As Wufei held Sazuka's sword, he heard the footsteps of Asia Clan-Clan. It was like listening to Elephants trying to step quietly on eggshells. HE heard her coming and jumped up and quickly looked to where Asia was coming from. He brought his legs up against her side, which sent her flying onto her opposite side against the floor. 

Wufei came back down onto his feet and let go of Sazuka's sword. 

"Cut it out, you three!" Quatre shouted as he stepped in between Wufei, Sazuka and Asia. 

"Tell that to you're sexist little friend!" Asia snarled

"Don't tempt him." Heero called out from the other end of the bridge; "Wufei's a very highly trained fighter, just like the rest of us."

Quatre didn't want anyone to fight with each other, he had to call all of this to peace. 

"Please." He pleaded, "Don't fight with each other. We're on the same side!"

Jim stood up agreeing with Quatre, "He's right you know. We can't be bent up over our own differences. We have bigger things to worry about, such as getting Hotana. He's already beaten up one of this team. There's no telling what he'll do in this place."

Suddenly there was a large hiss from the back of the room, Duo watched at the submarine hatch opened and up came Johan with his now conscious Haruka. They smiled at all who were looking in their direction. 

"We're back." Johan stated

****

Q 

In the mess hall of the Preventer Ship Tabris, a banquet was held to welcome these strangers that Gene had called the crew of the Outlaw Star. Though the general consensus was that a much simpler name was needed. A name for this group was needed as well as a nickname for the leader of this group, Gene Starwind. It was this that was discussed over the first course of the banquet. To give an idea of what kind of nickname to give Gene and his group, stories were told of their adventures. There were laughs around one particular adventure of theirs. 

"And so," Gene said, "This cactus plant was controlling everyone and forcing them to eat crappy ice cream to see how great his control was. I tried to shoot it but my gun kept firing in different directions. So it was Melphina who squashed it that saved most of us."

"That is one hell of a story." Duo laughed 

"We've got a lot more of them." Gene smiled as he chugged down his glass of sake. 

Quatre ate gingerly as he thought over the stories that were told by Gene Starwind and his band of Outlaws. He had heard the stories of how they got the Outlaw Star, the Galactic Leyline, fighting pirates, the Anten Seven, facing strange races and hilarious circumstances. Then it came to him, like a hot out of the blue it came to him, a name for Gene and his group.

"I have an idea." Quatre stated

Jim looked over to the 17-year-old Quatre and asked, "What's your idea?"

"It's a nickname for Gene Starwind."

This caught the attention of all those around the dinning table. 

"I'm listening." Gene crossed his arms. 

"How does the name _Lucky Star Gene_ sound?"

Gene rubbed his chin in thought about this, "Luck Star Gene." He said, "Lucky Star Gene." He started to nod his head, he was agreeing with it, "I like it. Now if you have an idea for a name for our group, then I'd be more than happy to listen."

"How about the Outlaw Six?" Quatre suggested

This suggestion seemed to confuse the crew, each one of them looked up and down each end of the table to count the crew. However Sazuka was always the sharp one to find out these kinds of errors. She too, only counted five of the crew sitting at the table. She looked back at Quatre.

"I think your math skills need work." She said arrogantly, "There are only five of us."

"I was counting your ships computer as part of your crew."

Jim looked up to Gene to concur with Quatre; "He does have a point. Without Gilliam it would be an even bigger pain in the ass to pilot the Outlaw Star."

"Then it's settled." Gene smiled, "We are from now on called the Outlaw Six."

Johan raised his glass, "I'll drink to that." He said as he sipped down his alcohol as he swallowed he wanted to know more, "Tell us more of your adventures, Lucky Star Gene."

Gene shrugged, "There was this time when we were on our way to the Galactic Leyline that we had to stop at this planet called Tenrei. The reason is because I needed shells for my caster."

"You've mentioned the caster before." Trowa observed, "What is it?"

Gene went to his side and pulled out a very odd looking gun that looked as though it was crudely built many years ago. It's nuts and bolts uneven, paint cracking and parts of the metal chipped. It looked like a smaller version of a single-firing shotgun. Gene held it like a Gunslinger and handed it across the table to Trowa who took the caster very tenderly. He looked at the weapon meticulously. 

"It truly is an odd weapon." Trowa critiqued looking all over the caster, "I've never seen anything quite like it." 

"That's because there aren't very many in my world." Gene explained, "You see a caster and its shells have to be made by a special person, well a wizard actually."

"A wizard?" Duo asked shocked 

"Yeah." Gene answered, "But he preferred to be called a priest. Anyway, a long time ago this gun used to be called a Spell Gun. The wizards on Tenrei had found a way to place magic spells into gun cartridges, making 20 types in all, each with different effects. Problem is they're expensive as hell, but I spared no expense in getting as many as I can."

"Why is that?" Quatre asked as he watched Trowa hand the caster back to Gene.

"The caster shells have a reputation of being effective against Tao Masters, which Hotana is, but I really would like to hear about you guys. I mean from the way I saw you fight out there, all of you seem to have the training of soldiers."

Johan nodded in agreement with Gene, "You've hit the nail on the head. Each of us has been trained expertly in the art of war. So everything ranging from battle tactics to strategic imagination are nearly perfect."

Gene turned a head when he hear the phrase _nearly perfect._

"What do you mean?" he asked

"If all of us were entirely perfect in the art of war, then we'd simply be mindless machines taking orders from people tucked away in safe places. Thus taking away the whole purpose to fight a person face to face on the battlefield. As our founder once said, there was a time where humanity could fight wars with a push of a button. Taking all honor and glory out of battle and making war simply a game drawn out on a board for amusement."

"Quite profound." Gene sneered, he wasn't very eloquent when it came to philosophical ideas such as those. He'd much rather just do what he enjoys doing and find a way to get rich after all of it. 

"Oh, I nearly forgot to mention." Johan clasped his hands together, "Haruka."

Haruka turned to look at Johan, "Yes?"

"You know that the Gundam Vindicator is trashed, right?" 

Haruka nodded.

"Well, Howard and I decided to just melt down whatever scrap parts we have and using the Gundam Fire to make the Nemesis."

"How long will that take?"

"Oh," Johan calculated, "About a couple of weeks or so."

"The real question," Jim sneered, "Is if Hotana is going to take advantage of this situation."

****

Q 

Jim wasn't far from the truth. Far away from the Preventer Ship Tabris towards the planet of Venus, Hotana was taking advantage. Except he was taking advantage of the resources of this universe to create a truly powerful weapon. 

It was there in the middle of space in the vicinity of Venus that an abandoned resource satellite was drifting in the endless sea of space. This satellite was originally on route to the sun, and by a remarkable coincidence it happened to be the same satellite that the Preventers used to repair their Gundams during the visit of the Evangelions. This is what Hotana was using to make his weapon.

Hotana stood upon a catwalk within the hollow remnants of the resource satellite. The catwalk that he stood upon stretched across a long oblong room. 20 feet below him was the construction of a mobile suit. Little machines that looked like ants from that height of the catwalk worked and ran their own tasks to build this machine. This weapon itself was starting to take shape of a mobile suit but it was lacking parts. Bits of its inner Gundanium skeleton were showing through the armor plating above it. All around it were miscellaneous parts that had some use but weren't needed at the moment as the machines welded, screwed and bolted parts onto Hotana's weapon. 

The suit itself looked similar to the Virgo mobile doll, it's simply body design and enlarge shoulder parts that housed the shields and the powerhouse for the rifle as well as that one lens eye. Except this suit had features of it's own, it had a long heat rod similar to the Epyon as well as a shield. 

The shields that this suit would use were to be Hotana's defense, but he has something special in mind.

"Master." Shin called who was controlling the worker robots that built the suit, "The shields are ready for the magic."

"Good." Hotana smiled evilly as he brought up his hands for the Tao spell.

"Pacoa Sumfa." He chanted, "Pacoa Sumfa. Pacoa Sumfa."

A blue glow began to emanate from Hotana's body. As he continued to chant, the light over flowed over the catwalk and down to the work place where the robots worked. Except the light began to move with snake-like intelligence to the red colored shields that lay collectively on the floor. The light swallowed the shields like a snake devouring eggs. Until all of the shields that used to be red were now glowing blue. 

"Pacoa Sumfa." Hotana chanted, "Pacoa Sumfa!"

The shields had absorbed the light and became red again.

Hotana brought his hands slowly down to his side.

"The shields are now using the Tao." Shin reported.

Hotana began to laugh; he laughed so hard that it echoed over the sounds of the working robots around the mobile suit that he intended to call _The Violator._

To be continued . . .

****

Author's Notes: I got the idea for Johan and Haruka to be in the navigation tube together was from this one episode of Outlaw Star where Melphina uses the same technique to save Gene from poison. Originally I had thought of putting just Haruka and Melphina in there, but I think that would be too suggestive, if you know what I mean: -D. Then I had the thought of putting all three of them in there, then it occurred to me that the navigation tube was too small for three people. Then I settled on the idea that Haruka and Johan should be in there so that they could communicate with one another. Then there's the issue of the Vindicator, I know that it's scrap metal now, and it doesn't exactly make sense to just rebuild the whole thing. Especially since Haruka wants to pilot her old Gundam Mobile suit again. So it would make more sense to just use the Vindicator parts to make the Nemesis. Last of all I had the idea for a mobile suit for Hotana, something like a combination of the Virgo mobile suit and the Epyon, and call it Violator. 

Come back soon for more chapters of **_Gundam Outlaw_**


	4. Colony L-9

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the copyrights to Gundam Wing, Endless Waltz, Outlaw Star, or any songs that are used in this story. All copyrights belong to their respective owners.

****

Readers Note: This contains some spoilers for Outlaw Star, so if you haven't seen the whole series I wouldn't recommend reading this. 

Gundam Wing 

&

Outlaw Star 

Gundam Outlaw 

Chapter 4: Colony l-9 

****

Q 

Johan and Haruka were watching from the catwalk, Howard and the other technicians working furiously. They watched them paint the red Gundam Fire into the white Nemesis. Though when the first coat of white paint was covered the suit looked pink. So another thicker coat was needed. The parts of the Vindicator were already melted down to make the heat rod and shield. The gun that the Fire had was kept, but needed to be remolded for the Nemesis Bird mode of flight. Since Nemesis was very much like Epyon, changes to its lower and upper cavity as well as the head needed to be made. That was only for starters, a new cockpit system was needed.

Thankfully, Gilliam in the Outlaw Star offered to make a new cockpit system for the Gundam. So a cable data system was set between the cockpit of the Gundam Nemesis and the Outlaw Star, which was obstructing the view of Haruka and Johan down to the workers of the Nemesis. The way that this new cockpit system is going to work, as Gilliam explained, is that it'll be a combination of his own program as well as the normal operating cockpit system and the Zero system. Making a cockpit system of that caliber would take a considerable amount of time, and the mobile suit it self might be done before the operating system would even be working. 

This was when they decided to take a small break. 

"Hey, you two!" A voice called, 

Johan and Haruka looked over to the left to find Duo Maxwell standing in the doorway waving his hand at them. He was beckoning them to come with him.

"We've arrived!" 

****

Q 

Colony L-9, one of the colonies and Earth's favorite tourist attractions, next to the moon, so much that a historian once called it a "Las Vegas in space". This statement had hit the mark straight into the bulls-eye. The people who work within the colony don't necessarily live there, at least within its city limits. Within the city limits, all sides of the streets were strewn with signs, lights and neon of casinos, hotels, and secluded resorts. Even the spaceport and grocery stores had slot machines in them.

Duo had joked that people might have a tough time deciding. That is making a decision between buying eggs or playing the slots. Eggs, slots, eggs or slots? 

The Preventers and the Outlaw Six stepped out of the spaceport and saw the entire Colony L-9 in its neon lit glory. All the light bulbs blinked in sequence that capture the eyes of all the Preventers and Outlaws. Event the anti-social Heero and Trowa couldn't' help but look at all of it. 

Johan held Haruka close, "Marvelous isn't it? AN entire colony devoted to tourism."

"It's not even a city." Haruka smiled, "It's an ongoing celebration."

Gene simply shrugged, "Very profound, but…" A cat-like smile stretched across his face, "I'm gonna go out and party!"

Duo raised his arms in excitement, "That's just what we're here to do!"

Sazuka on the other hand simply surveyed the scene, "There's nothing that I find appealing about this."

Wufei smiled, "Funny, I thought a woman would enjoy this sort of thing."

"For the last time," Sazuka demanded, "quit being so sexist."

"Can't change the nature of the beast." Johan interrupted, "Well, there's a nice health spa located near here. What do you say Haruka? It has a couple's bath."

Haruka winked

"A couples bath?" Gene asked

"You'll see." Duo explained. 

****

Q 

The health spa that Johan was talking about was one of the prize resorts of Colony L-9. The spa was called The Lotus. It was an enormous complex, about as large as one city block. All the accommodations for its guests, sport courts, workout equipment, restaurant, juice bar, pools, and it's more prominent feature it's artificial hot springs. The hot springs are divided into a different method than the old fashioned type with the strict men's and woman's bath. This hot spring was divided into men's, women's, and couple's bath. 

Before the Preventers and the Outlaw Six could go to them, they first had to undress for it. Even with the baths divided into men's and women's. Inside the women's locker room, the women of Preventer and the Outlaw Six were having their own "girl talk". 

Sazuka, Melphina, Asia, Lady Une, Alexandria, and Haruka all sat in one isle of the women's locker room. They sat along the wooden bench removing one article of clothing after the other. Never once did they look at each other in their becoming nude state. In this steaming atmosphere there was only the sound of the running water and wet feet walking along the tiled floor. Someone had to break the ice and it was Melphina. She wanted to talk to Haruka but she felt an embarrassment about the question. She wanted to know and she asked.

"Haruka?" She asked

"Yes?" Haruka answered looking at Melphina.

"Could you tell me about your husband?" 

Melphina had asked the question loud enough for the others to hear her, and they wanted to know too.

Asia leaned over to Melphina, she was already stark naked with her breasts pressing against Melphina's shoulder. 

"Why are you asking that now, Melphina?" She asked

Melphina's chin came down to her chest and her shoulders came in with embarrassment, "I didn't want to embarrass her husband."

"It's alright." Haruka smiled, "Johan is a very loving man, though there was a point where I felt too protected, but that's how he is."

"What's he like in bed?" Melphina asked curiously

Haruka's eyes were wide, but she smiled, "That's a funny question to ask a married couple, but I'll say this, the way we make love is like it could be our last. Meaning each time is filled with so much passion that it blows me away."

Asia simply crossed her arms arrogantly, "I don't believe that a mere human being could have that much passion. Even if he does, it'll make him a weak warrior."

Haruka shook her head, "I was the very reason he kept fighting, Asia Clan-Clan." 

****

Q 

The Preventers and the Outlaw Six came out of the Locker rooms with towels wrapped around their waists or around their chest for the women. The men went to the men's bath, the women went to the women's bath, but Johan and Haruka went to the couples' bath. 

They walked through the bamboo doors to the steaming artificial hot spring. Yet in plain site it looked as natural as if it was on Earth. The waters steam was rising like fog over the crystal clear water. Around the waters edge were carefully placed rocks, all of them as smooth as river rock. Back away from the edge were the 9-foot high bamboo walls to protect the privacy of couples within. Above there was no ceiling except that of the colony itself. There wasn't anyone else in the spring except for Haruka and Johan along with the sounds of running water. 

The two removed their towels and stepped in. They felt the warm smoothing water relaxing every fiber of muscle in their body. Inch by slow inch, the water came up to their waist and they could feel complete and total relaxation as they set their bodies all the way into the water. 

"Ah." Johan moaned, "This is my idea of heaven." 

"With me in it, I hope." Haruka called 

She walked through the spring to where there was water pouring into the spring from a bamboo shower. The water poured over her body as she let got of the towel revealing all that Johan knew from head to toe in glistening liquid against soft skin. He watched as Haruka allowed all of the water to run over her body. While Johan watched her he thought to himself about a memory he had. It was back when the Evangelions had visited this Universe. He had told Asuka Langely Sohryuu that he was a lucky man, he had a job that was great, good friends, and a wonderful wife. Life is good, he thought, it just doesn't get better than this.

****

Q 

Meanwhile, in the men's bath, the men were enjoying the warmth of the spring, at least those who showed it. The one who was truly showing his enjoyment was Gene, he sat in the spring with the water coming up to his chest yet he was lying back with his arms against the edge and a smile across his face.

"Now I know what I was missing out on Tenrei." He commented

"Gene." Quatre called

Gene turned to Quatre who looked like he didn't want to talk about anything important, but rather wanted to just talk. The content of the conversation didn't matter.

"Yes." He answered

"How do you like this universe, so far?" 

The question that Quatre asked seemed both easy and difficult at the same time. He had only been in this place for a short time but for an odd reason he knew the answer already.

"I'm comfortable." He said, "But there's something that I'd like to do."

Quatre could see his cheeks begin to flush as if he was either embarrassed or had a devilishly clever idea in mind. What the plan was, that was to be determined. 

Gene got up out of the spring with the towel wrapped around his waist like a makeshift pair of shorts. He walked over to the wall that was adjacent to the women's bath. Gene knew this from the small floor plan he found in the men's locker room. He wanted to get a good view, even though the last time he was in a place like this on Tenrei he didn't want the view, just caster shells. But this time he was going to get a good view. He crouched down, he was going to jump up to the top of the eight-foot tall bamboo wall.

"Uh-oh." Jim moaned

Jim was sitting next to Quatre as he leaned over to him, "What's he going to do?"

Jim whispered, "Gene's a pervert, he's going to try to get a free show."

Quatre knew exactly what Jim was talking about and Quatre wanted to warn Gene about something on this colony. The fear of what might happen made Quatre act quickly, his brain sent the message to his voice box but something was wrong when it reached his throat. It was too late for him.

Gene had already made the jump, and what a jump it was. Gene went straight up into the air of 20 vertical feet. Gene was already struggling to try to get back down. He looked like a puppet on strings as he tried to scramble his way back down. He did come back down but not into the Men's bath but into the women's bath. 

"Quatre." Jim called, "What were going to warn him about?"  
"I was going to warn him not to jump so hard in a colony." Quatre explained, "Otherwise you go straight up."

The men heard the voices of screaming women from the women's bath. Though listening to the voices of the exasperated women form the bath sounded more interesting than anything else. 

****

Q 

Gene came down with a great big splash into the women's bath, like a cannon ball dive into a pool. The splash went every direction that the blast would allow, but what happened next made most of the women in the bath feel uncomfortable at the very least. Gene game up from the epicenter of the splash taking in as much as he could. He felt as if he had run the mile after what had just happened with him jumping over 20 vertical feet into the air. He wanted to ask, _what the hell happened, _but the first question came from the women in the bath.

"What's the meaning of this?" Sazuka asked as she covered herself up with the nearby towel. 

Gene looked around at all the women who had covered themselves up. Sazuka, Melphina, Lady Une, and Alexandria were covering themselves up. He didn't want to tell the truth that he wanted to get a free show, so he thought of a great excuse.

"I just jumped out of the spring," Gene had explained making sure that he didn't stammer to give away his cover-up, "I got high up into the air and now I'm here. I'm not here for the view!" 

Alexandria smirked, "Likely story, you filthy pervert." 

"It's the truth!" Gene shouted as he laid his hands at his side. 

The next thing that happened was he saw a figure quickly rise out of the water. He couldn't tell who it was until he saw a long white pony tail with a golden ring at the end of it. The figure turned around and it was Asia in her complete nakedness, her nipples standing out in erect as if she were in a cold room. 

"This isn't hot!" She screamed as she held her eyes shut, so she failed to notice Gene Starwind right in front of her, "Isn't there a spring that's hotter than what these humans can stand?!"

Then she opened her eyes and found the gawking face of Gene Starwind who was looking at pure Ctarl-Ctarl nudity. 

"I see." Asia smirked, "You came here again to see Asia in her birthday suit."

"I did not!" Gene defended, then he had one good look at all the ladies where were naked and half-naked around him. Then he saw Sazuka dashing across the water at him with the towel over her front and her wooden sword in the other hand.

"Get out, you pervert!" She screamed as she slammed the sword against Gene's face, which sent him over the wall like a baseball in a home run back into the men's bath. The force that Sazuka put into that blow was just enough to lift him the same amount of vertical feet over the wall. He came back down into the men's bath with that same enormous splash. He came back up gasping for air. The others around him looked at him as well as the enormous mark on his face that was left by Sazuka. Gene stood up rubbing his face and still with the towel around his waist. 

"Was it worth it?" Duo asked from one end of the spring.

"Sure it was, I saw naked women." Gene smiled rubbing his face; "I think that's enough." 

****

Q 

For the rest of the day that was spent on Colony L-9, the Preventers as well as the Outlaw Six, enjoyed every aspect that the colony had to offer them. At least some of them, there were a few that decided to go back to the ship and monitor re-supply. The ones that went back were Heero, Miliardo, Kazuki, Jim Hawking, and Lady Une. 

The rest stayed on the Colony until they were needed. Such as on one side of the city limits, Trowa Barton, Sazuka and Wufei Chang were in a small weapons shop simply called _The Juggernaught_. Inside the place smelt of steel, gun grease, gunpowder with the walls strewn with all kinds of weapons, handguns, shotguns, automatic weapons, semi-automatic weapons, knives and swords. Even though this was a time of peace, it wasn't exactly a perfect peace, there may be peace between Earth and Space, but there was still the instinctual need for defense. 

The clerk of this shop was a man named Randall, a tall blond lanky 20-something year old. He took out a small handgun and gave it to Trowa Barton to sample.

"We call this piece," He explained, "the Fecilator. One look at it, then the target shits him or herself."

Trowa simply looked at the puny gun, "How am I supposed to strike terror into anyone with this?"

Wufei brought up his own opinion on the matter, "Why use the gun? We all have beam sabers ever since they became standard issue." 

It was true; a couple weeks after Johan had used the beam saber it became a joint decision that all Preventer officers should carry a side arm as well as a beam saber. However the color of the blade varies from officer to officer. Some had red, others had blue, and a few had green. 

"The beam saber is useless for long distance fighting." Trowa pointed out

"Any idiot can fire a gun, using a sword takes skill." Wufei refuted

"I agree with Wufei on this matter." Sazuka added

While this argument over the gun verses the sword was going on, in a different part of town Asia, Duo and Alexandria were grabbing a bite to eat. This proved to be a little more than what Duo and Alexandria had bargained for. It was a good thing that Duo and Alexandria were well paid as officers of Preventer. 

The three of them were eating at a Chinese restaurant that served "all you can eat". Alexandria and Duo watched as Asia ate. She gobbled down food like no other man or beast the two had laid eyes on. Their eyes were wide open and their chopsticks/forks were loose and limp in their hands while they watched. Asia had eaten dinner platters that would have fed at least 8 people. Then she looked over at Duo with her blue starving orphan eyes.

"May I?" She asked

"What?" Duo asked 

Asia held up her bowl, "I'm ready for seconds!"  
Duo had dropped his chopsticks into his bowl with that sentence. Seconds? How can she have seconds after eating all that? Still, she is a guest of Preventer, so it's hard to refuse her. 

"Go ahead." Duo moaned

"Give me another! Give me another!" Asia called to the waiter

"Horrorshow Bog!" Alexandria exclaimed, "What kind of devotchka can eat like that?"

"Beats hell out of me." Duo answered

They continued to watch as Asia downed another dinner plate for 8 people. As she finished the last of it all with dinner plats stacked up on the table. She sat back in pure satisfaction with that cat like smile. She rubbed her belly that was already bulging through her Ctarl-Ctarl uniform. 

"I'm so stuffed," She said, "I couldn't eat another bite."

Duo and Alexandria turned and looked at each other.

"I thought she'd have room for desert." Duo whispered

Asia's long ears picked this up, she pointed over to Duo with her finger nail at point blank range from his face.

"I heard that." She said, "A child like you shouldn't' be insulting a woman who's mature and worldly."

"I agree, Duo." Alexandria nodded, "I thought that the sunka would have had more room in her guts."

"What the hell did she just say?" Asia asked Duo puzzled.

Duo simply shrugged. 

In a different part of town around the slew of stores, hotels and casinos, Gene, Johan, Melphina and Haruka were having their own fun. Gene and Johan were waiting for Haruka and Melphina as they tried on their own choice of lingerie from Victoria Secret. Though Gene had told Johan that he didn't know the first thing about clothes shopping, but when Johan told him that it was a lingerie shop, Gene jumped on the opportunity.

Gene's heart was already racing when he was amongst all the different styles of women's underwear, bras, panties; all of it made his eyes bulge and waited for Melphina to come out in one of them. 

Gene's hopes were fulfilled when Melphina came out in a red teddy. It came down to a quarter way down her thigh as the rest of it conformed to the shapes and curves of her body with ruffles around the edges. It made Gene think of all the whores that he slept with but he knew that the woman under that teddy was a woman he loved. Just seeing Melphina in that kind of outfit made every part of Gene scream with excitement except his voice box, otherwise he would have caused quite a scene. 

"How do you like it, Gene?" Melphina asked as she posed in different positions to get the full effect of this teddy.

"I'm liking it even more." Gene smiled with his cheeks flushing

The next woman to come out of the dressing room was Haruka. She was dressed in ivory colored lingerie set that consisted of a bra that cradled her breasts close to her chest. A bustier that conformed to all of her body down to the waistline, her panties the same ivory shade as the rest in it's V-shape coming from her sides to her crotch. Around her waist there was the ivory garter belt that reached down to connect to the long black nylon stockings.

"Do you like it, Johan?" She asked posing seductively

"Parts of me are already applauding." Johan smiled 

The two of them headed back into the dressing room to change back into their casual clothes. When the two of them arrived in the changing room, Melphina was talking to Haruka through the wall. 

"Do you really think that Gene liked what I was wearing?" She asked Haruka

"If he loves you that much, then anything you wear will look good." Haruka answered, "I know Johan was really excited by what I was wearing."

"How could you tell?"

"I'll tell you later."

Back outside where Johan and Gene sat in waiting they were talking about what they had just witnessed before their very eyes. 

"And here I thought that I had seen everything." Gene smiled

"Yeah," Johan agreed, "I think that both of them looked great, better than those models in the magazines."

Then both Haruka and Melphina came out with the outfits they chose. They came to the cash register when there was a call on Johan's cell phone. He picked it up and pressed receive.

"Johan Rodriguez, Preventer, speaking." He said

"Johan, its Lady Une." He heard, "The re-supplying is done. Return to the ship."

"Roger that."

He hung up the phone and placed it back into his white trench coat pocket.

"Who was it Johan?" Haruka asked as she paid for the outfits. 

"It was Lady Une." Johan reported, "She said we should return to the ship."

To be continued . . .

****

Author's Notes: This is a favorite chapter of mine, mostly because its fun and it deals in a place that's like Tenrei and Las Vegas. This is the part of the story where I wanted to have the characters from both series interacted with each other on an individual or maybe small group basis. Such as the scene with Duo, Alexandria, and Asia, then there was that scene with Gene, Melphina, Johan and Haruka in a Victoria Secret. Just like how that one episode of Outlaw Star (the one that was cut out) was fun and hilarious, this one I wanted to make that same kind of charm. 

Come back soon for more chapters of **_Gundam Outlaw_**


	5. To Venus

****

Disclaimer: I do not own the copyrights to Gundam Wing, Endless Waltz, Outlaw Star, or any songs that are used in this story. All copyrights belong to their respective owners.

****

Readers Note: This contains some spoilers for Outlaw Star, so if you haven't seen the whole series I wouldn't recommend reading this. 

Gundam Wing

&

Outlaw Star

Gundam Outlaw

Chapter 5: To Venus 

****

Q 

"Welcome back." Gilliam greeted from the Outlaw Stars external speakers.

The Outlaw Six as well as Haruka and Johan had come back to the mobile suit bay. They all saw the newly built Gundam Nemesis; it stood in all of its glory that once stood all those years ago in the Eve wars. It was just like the Gundam Epyon, except with it's long barrel gun and its black and white paint job. It had wings just like the Epyon that made it look like a Gundanium devil. Its heat rod tapered from the shield attached to its right arm down to the floor. 

There was one persistent question on both Haruka and Johan's mind that could only be answered by Gilliam himself. 

"Gilliam." Haruka called

"I already know what you're going to ask." Gilliam asserted, "The new operating system has been created and uploaded into the Gundam Nemesis. I've made some adjustments to it. Such as I've noticed that the Vindicators operating system could allow just about anyone to pilot it. So I've upgraded its security system to match only voice print recognition, retinal eye patterns, and fingerprint analysis. Also, I've created a helmet for the pilot to use for easier usage. Since I've created this system I've given it a new name, I've called it Hal. On a side note, if you want to use the Zero system the cockpit will require a code, which Lady Une will provide."

Haruka looked at her Gundam and knew deep within her a certain satisfaction that she is now a Preventer pilot. She wanted to test it, she looked over to the stairs that came down to the floor of the mobile suit bay. She walked down to the oil stained steel floor with her husband diligently walking along side her past the Outlaw Star, the Gundam Mobile suits, until they reached their destination. The Gundam Nemesis, from the catwalk it seemed so much smaller, reality is always within grasp when it's towering 56 feet high and weighing in at 18 tons. 

The cockpit door was open and the lift cable was there at the Nemesis feet waiting for Haruka to come to it. She walked over to it and tugged it and she was lifted up to the cockpit. She climbed in. The cockpit was saturated with the smell of new plastic, new metal and new leather. She looked and there on the leather cockpit seat was the helmet that Gilliam has spoke of with its oxygen intake valve on it's side so the pilot could breathe. 

She took the helmet away from the seat and sat down, with the lift cable reeling itself in and the cockpit door closing in on her, sealing her within the darkness. Soon the darkness became light with all the warmth of all the technology that surrounded her. There were different shades of colors, blues, yellows, reds, and amber coming from all the panels around her. Then a few mellow males voice came from within the cockpit. 

"PLEASE, STATE YOUR NAME FOR VOICE RECOGNITION." It stated

Haruka knew that this was Hal that Gilliam was talking about, "Haruka Tenou Rodriguez." She stated

"STATE PREVENTER CODE NAME."  
"Preventer Sky King."

There was a moments pause; Haruka didn't know what was going to happen next yet it felt familiar. It was similar to when she first became the designated pilot of the Gundam Vindicator. She waited, anticipating the next command. 

"SCANNING RETINAL EYE PATTERN." 

Haruka looked to the front of the cockpit and there it came out, a red light that was shinning into her eye. When it did, it only hurt because of the pure blinding power in the red light. She knew that the computer was scanning the retinal blood vessel patterns in the back of her eye. An essential. A fingerprint for the eye. 

"PLACE YOUR HANDS UPON THE CONTROLS."

Haruka looked down and found the control sticks for this Gundam. They were just like they were when she first built this machine, horizontal. Her hands slipped over the fresh plastic, feeling the coolness as well as its newness. Under the cool of the fresh plastic she felt warmth, she knew immediately she was being scanned. So the control sticks were not only used to control the Gundam but also to verify if the pilot in the seat is the real person. 

"REGISTRATION COMPLETE."

"Who are you?" Haruka asked

"MY NAME IS HAL. I AM THE OFFSPRING OF THE OUTLAW STAR OPERATING SYSTEM, GILLIAM TWO."

"Gilliam told me that I could use the Zero system."

"I'M SORRY, HARUKA. I'M AFRAID I CAN'T DO THAT. THE USE OF THE ZERO SYSTEM REQUIRES A VOICE COMMAND. PREVENTER OFFICER REPRESENTATIVE UNE WILL GIVE THIS TO YOU, BUT YOU CAN USE IT. HOWEVER WHEN YOU DO, MY PROGRAM WILL BE SHUT DOWN IN FAVOR OF THE ZERO SYSTEM."

"So, if I use the Zero system, I won't hear anything from you?"

"CORRECT".

It was an interesting problem to Haruka, if she used the Zero system then Hal wouldn't be working so that meant she would be on her own. She has already seen the horrors that the Zero system could do, she watched as Quatre went insane from his own grief mixed with that system. She couldn't fathom what could happen if she used it and there was no one to snap her out of it. As Johan said there's only one alternative, master the Zero system. 

****

Q 

In a meeting with the Preventers and the Outlaw Six a plan of attack had to be devised. One of the reasons for this was because of some data that came in. The officers of Preventer and the Outlaw Six sat around the meeting table watching the data on the screen was a small resource satellite with Venus as it's background. 

"This is where he is." Lady Une stated

Duo stood in his assertiveness, "Let's go get him."

"Hold it." Johan halted, "last time we went up against this guy we lost one mobile suit. We need to think of a plan to go after him. Since he's a Tao Master we're going to need to use Gene's Caster Shells. He's more than likely going to merge his magic with our technology."

Heero stared at Johan, "Are you suggesting we load the shells into our Gundams?"  
"I think we should."

Gene shook his head, "That won't work. Only a caster gun can fire a caster shell."

Lady Une nodded, "So, that means one of you is going to have to get in close enough to use it."

Gene looked to Lady Une who was standing at the head of the table like King Arthur and his knights. 

"I'll do it." He said

Jim reached to Gene's shoulder and pulled him down to say, "We need you go fly the Outlaw Star, Gene."

Gene sulked, "One of the Gundams are going to have to use my caster."

There was silence among those around the table. They were waiting for some fool who'd be crazy enough to take on such a dangerous task. 

"I'll do it." Heero Volunteered

Heero's Prussian blue eyes met Gene's pale blue eyes. The two knew what had to be done. Gene couldn't fire the caster at Hotana while flying the Outlaw Star. It would be as practical as trying to be in two places at once. Heero would have to be that one to take on this task, otherwise the mission wouldn't work.

"There's something else." Lady Une added crossing her arms, "our sensors are detecting activity inside. So we have to assume this enemy has a mobile suit, we don't have enough information on its specifics or its weapons. Nor do we have anyway to find out."

The worst possible scenario had been made. An unknown suit with whatever kids of weapons Hotana could get his hands on. There was only one way to proceed.

"So," Duo postulated, "You want us to go to the resource satellite and draw him out and not know what he could do to us?"

"It's the only option that can be thought of without risking innocent lives."

Duo shrugged, "Sounds like a really crappy plan, but alright."

Gene stood up and walked over to Heero slowly he reached into his coat as if reaching for a gun. As a matter of fact he was, he pulled out his caster gun. He let go of its handle yet still holding onto the trigger. He allowed the weight to shift so that it's nozzle pointed down and the handle was within Heero's reach.

Heero reached for the odd gun, he felt its weight and examined its odd shape. He looked back up at Gene as if either asking how the hell it's loaded or saying; _you've got to be kidding me._

Gene reached into his gun belt to where the enormous caster shells were held. He pulled out five shells that looked like a bullet for a .45 magnum but enlarged for a shotgun. Gene laid his hand to the table and allowed them to roll out onto the table.

"These are caster shells number 19, 20, 4, 9, and 13." Gene explained

Heero took the number 4 shell and looked at it meticulously. He looked at the golden colored case and the strange markings on its side and along its flat bottom. 

"There's one warning I'd like to give you, Heero." Gene warned

Heero looked at him coldly.

"The number 4, 9 and 13 shells are special. But try not to fire them consecutively. The shells will drain your life away, fire once you'll be woozy, fire twice, you'll be half dead, and the third time you'll be completely dead."

Heero collected all the caster shells and shoved them into his pocket, "I'll try and be careful, but it's not this gun I'm worried about, it's that unknown mobile suit." 

****

Q 

Back in the vicinity of Venus, Hotana had don't it, the Gundam Violator had been completed. The suit was just like a Virgo mobile doll except it was designed with a manned cockpit. It had the enlarged shoulders that housed the shields in the left shoulder while it held the powerhouse for the beam cannon in the other. While on it's left arm was the shield of the Epyon and it's head rod coiled up inside the shield ready to strike at anyone who came close to it. 

Hotana stood at its feet and marveled at its power as well as the idea of using the Tao as its power. Looking at this robot, he felt an immense feeling of pride and power, just as he did when the Ki was built, a ship that was a duplicate of the Outlaw Star but made more for him. This was his plan; he would pilot the Violator while the Ki would pilot itself. That way it could keep the Outlaw Star busy. It was such a wonderful idea that Hotana had to laugh at his own evilness. He stopped laughing and wanted to get to the operation 

"Shin!" He summoned.

"Yes master?" Shin answered

"Are you ready to pilot on your own?"

The answer came quickly, "Yes, my flight circuits are functioning normally." 

"Then we shall begin operation." 

****

Q 

The Preventer Ship Tabris was already making its way to the attack point. The journey wasn't as long as it may have appeared to be. Thanks to high-tech engines within the Tabris they could travel faster than in Peace Million. It would have taken Peace Million several days to reach Venus at full speed, but it would only take Tabris several hours to get there. However there is that possibility that Hotana could come out and meet them somewhere in between their current position and Venus. 

In the few hours that they had the officers or Preventer were all getting prepared for this battle. There was tension among the crew of the Outlaw Star as well as the Preventers. This mission was just like trying to traverse a minefield with no map, that is how frightening the whole situation was to them. 

In open part of the mobile suit bay, the Gundam Clockwork and the Gundam DeathScythe stood side by side with Duo and Alexandria working together to make sure that their suits work well. 

"Everything's real Horrorshow here, Duo." Alexandria smiled 

"Same here." Duo smirked, "DeathScythe's ready to go."

"Goody Gumdrops." 

While Duo and Alexandria were talking about the kind of firepower that each of them would have, Quatre was talking with Jim Hawking. Quatre was sitting on the cockpit platform while Jim was talking to him from the steel floor. Quatre didn't want to leave his dear Sandrock, he felt that at times like these he wanted to be close to the mobile suit.

"Tell me." Jim called, "Are all of you pilots close to your suits as you are?"

Quatre simply shrugged, "It may seem unusual for a pilot to bond to their suit, but its no different then a car enthusiast to bond with their prized car."

Jim thought back to his hot rod of a car back in the city of Locus on Sentinel 3. Quatre was right; Jim treated that car as if it were his child. Then again that car is a classic, even though he keeps telling Gene not to fix up a classic like that and then drive it all around town. Jim suddenly saw something about all these Gundams, he saw that the mobile suit was just as unique as the person was. He wouldn't have been surprised that if the mobile suit had a mind of its own it would act like the pilot. Jim headed back into the Outlaw Star to update the crew on the data he collected on the Ki. 

Over near the Wing Zero Heero was getting ready, he was already in his form fitting space suit. Around his belt was the caster belt that Gene had given him, in this holster was the caster and in the belt were the shells. Heero took out the Caster again and opened it, he took out a number 20 shell and shoved it into the gun and closed it up. He felt that once he was on the battlefield he had no time to load the gun, so it would be best to load it now and then when the time comes, he'd use it. Yet after he loaded the caster he took out the number 4 shell, he gazed at it unknowing of the power that is encased within this single cartridge. He slipped it back into the belt and sat back calmly in the pilots seat. 

Within the Outlaw Star, Jim was briefing his crew on the Ki. He stood at the front of the cockpit with the data on the Ki rolling by like pages in a word processor. While next to it, pictures and schematics of the Ki were being displayed slowly. 

"It seems," Jim stated, "That the Ki is very much like the Outlaw Star with only a few minor differences so that means we're going to have to use a different technique in order to beat it. I suggest that we use the same technique that we used on that split grappler ship we encountered, with one person controlling one arm."

Asia nodded, "It'll be like a game, again." She sniggered

"Keep in mind," Gene warned, "That there'll be no reset button in this game, again. But once we capture Hotana, we take him back to our own Universe and get that huge bounty."

Jim shrugged as he sat down in his seat, "Sounds great Gene, but one question, how do we get back to our own Universe."

"I don't know. All I know is that this pirate is the solution to all our problems."

"Except your problem of never planning ahead."

Gene didn't want to start another argument with Jim about his own weaknesses, because this was definitely not the place to do it. There were bigger things to concentrate on and one of them was surviving the upcoming battle. He simply had to swallow his own pride to get through this. 

Outside in the mobile suit bay, the Gundam Ryu and the Gundam Nemesis stood read for the battle. Haruka had already received her voice command to use the Zero system and she knew that if worse came to worse then she would have to use this system in order to win the fight. She learned that from her husband who used the system several times in order to win battles. 

She looked over to Johan who was diligently typing at a small computer, either inputting data into the Gundam Ryu or perhaps making sure that the Gundam was in great working order. Knowing Johan he had to make sure that there was no margin for error when it came to battles. The time was close. 

Suddenly over the speakers a whistle came blaring out, "Now hear this." Lady Une's voice called out, "Our E.T.A. to the attack point is 4 minutes. All Preventer pilots to your mobile suits, Outlaw Star, you may launch whenever ready." 

The crew of the Outlaw Star was ready, Melphina was already in the navigation tube, Gene was at the controls, Jim, Asia and Sazuka were in their seats. All of them were ready to launch. 

"This is the Outlaw Star." Gene stated, "Ready to launch." 

Outside in the mobile suit bay, all of the Preventer officers were already suited up for space. Each of them was breathing in the artificial air from their air tanks. The air in the mobile suit was already sucked out to prevent any one person from being blown out into space. 

The enormous doors of the mobile suit bay were opening; they opened with the speed of a fast moving great tortoise. Beyond the doors all that looked saw the planet Venus, a gaseous planet with the name of a Roman Love Goddess. Ironic that such an uninhabitable planet would be given such a beautiful name. The Outlaw Star started its engines and headed out into space with its engines burning past the mobile suit bay and into cold space.

The Gundams got to their suits and headed into space to meet whatever kind of dangers that were out there. In their sights they saw the resource satellite that they all had seen in the briefing room. From a distance the satellite looked like a small rock found on the slopes of some distant mountain. It had sharp edges, rough surfaces, and smooth parts. From this satellite came two objects, the came out looking like twin comets coming at untold speeds and unknown destinations. 

The computers onboard the Gundams and the Outlaw Star were beginning to identify the objects. The objects were magnified ten-fold within the screens of the Gundam Cockpits as well as Outlaw Stars bridge. One object was identified as the Ki, that dark grappler ship, it had its arms stretched out waiting to engage in combat with another grappler ship or anything that crossed its path. 

"Gene." Jim called, "Here comes the Ki."

"My sights are set." Gene smiled, "Going to grappler combat mode."

Gene strapped on a small eyepiece that fit snuggly over his right ear and had a small rod extending out and then making a ninety-degree angle towards Gene's right eye. Yet the rod never touched Gene's eye, it only projected the grappler combat data straight into his eye. So much that in Gene's right eye that was all he could see, except out of his left he could still see the controls. Meanwhile Asia and Sazuka were strapping on similar eyewear for the grappler combat. 

The other object that was coming towards them was what the Gundams had identified. Their computers magnified it just enough to make out its shape. It looked just like a Virgo mobile doll, if there were an army of them then the Gundams wouldn't have anything to fear since they've had experience in fighting Virgo mobile dolls. This time it's different, it was a solitary suit, except it had a shield that looked something close to the Epyon as well as the Tallgeese III. 

The computer identified it as an Unknown mobile suit, this is what they all feared an unknown suit with unknown weapons and characteristics. Still none of them should show fear to the enemy for that would show weaknesses.

Heero and Johan were stating the same phrase as they looked at the Unknown suit. 

"Suit confirmed." They said, "Tactics level cleared. Commence battle." 

To be continued . . .

****

Author's Notes: This is something I like to do is to show what happens before the big fight, sort of like in baseball movies where we see the baseball players are preparing for their big game. Not only that but in this chapter we have seen the long awaited newest version of the Gundam Nemesis, a mobile suit that was once built during the Eve wars and now it's resurrected in the name of Preventer. Now that I look back on this story a little bit I think it's a bit like the Mel Brooks movie _Spaceballs, _in which the Outlaws continually search for more money. But this bounty will finally end all debts for the Outlaw Crew. 

Come back soon for the conclusion of **_Gundam Outlaw_**


	6. Ship Vs. Suit

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the copyrights to Gundam Wing, Endless Waltz, Outlaw Star, or any songs that are used in this story. All copyrights belong to their respective owners.

****

Readers Note: This contains some spoilers for Outlaw Star, so if you haven't seen the whole series I wouldn't recommend reading this. 

Gundam Wing

&

Outlaw Star

Gundam Outlaw

Chapter 6: Ship vs. Suit 

****

Q 

The battlefield was set, the Preventers had the Wing Zero, the DeathScythe, The Heavyarms, the Sandrock, the Nataku, the Ryu, the Nemesis, the Clockwork, the Tallgeese III, and the Outlaw Star. Back on the Preventer Ship Tabris, the Maganacs and the Desbats sat in waiting. Rashim as well as Kazuki stood on the bridge of the Tabris watching their comrades' head out into the battlefield. 

Kazuki thought to him, "Reminds me of the old days when I and my friends were pirates. Perhaps I've been in this business too long."

Lady Une interrupted this train of thought; "You two should head to your mobile suits."

Kazuki and Rashim saluted and headed out the door and headed to Mobile Suit bay 2. This is where they would be deployed if they would be needed. The two entered the second mobile suit bay and looked at the enormous place. Along one side of the bay were the Desbats mobile suits while one the other side were the Maganac mobile suits. 

Kazuki headed to his Waterproof when Slayzer came up to him. Kazuki looked at Slayzer out of his one good eye to look at his shoulder length brown hair and deep blue eyes. 

"You look concerned, Kazuki." Slayzer stated

"I was just in thought." Kazuki shrugged

"About what?" 

"I've been thinking about leaving Preventer." 

Slayzer's expression became serious, "Why?" He asked earnestly 

Kazuki sat at the feet of his Gundam, "I've been watching the Gundams in action for a while now. I realize the power that they all possess. I think that I'd just be in the way, plus I'm a Peacecraft remember? I'm not supposed to be a pilot."

Slayzer crouched down to Kazuki's level, "But your relatives are mobile suit pilots and they're fighting too."

"They only fight because they desire to, plus I did a headcount of how many suits we have and it's just about the size of a small army. I think that the Gundams should be enough, I'd just be in the way."

Slayzer sat down next to Kazuki at the feet of the Gundam Waterproof with the battle going on outside in space.

"You know what you have to do if you leave Preventer." Slayzer pointed out.

Kazuki reluctantly nodded, "In this time of peace, we have to discard weapons. So if I leave I have to destroy my suit. I'm hesitant to destroy Waterproof but what other choice do I have other than stay here and just be a burden."

"But, sir." Slayzer pleaded, "you're our leader, Kazuki Peacecraft, the leader of the Desbats. If you leave, then I'm going with you and I'm sure that applies to my sister Laramee and Valos. We'll follow you anywhere, sir."

Kazuki laid his hand on Slayzer's shoulder, "You've always been loyal to me, Slayzer. But remember you're an individual now, whatever you choose is your choice."

Slayzer hung his head, "I understand, sir." 

****

Q 

Meanwhile, out in space, The Outlaw Star had engaged in combat with the Ki. All of them were so tied up in the battle that they didn't know what was going on with the Gundams against that mobile suit. It was a good thing that they didn't know because the Violator was dodging all of the attacks. 

The Heavyarms brought up both Twin Vulcan cannons and fired as much ammunition as he could at the target. As the bullets showered out into space, the Violator was their one-minute and then vanished. Then the Heavyarms as well as the Clockwork tried missiles on it, but that didn't work. As soon as the missiles were closing in on the target, the red shield plats came into position and began to shine blue. The missiles impacted the shield and exploded, as soon as the smoke cleared the suit and the shields had no damage. There wasn't even the single hint of a single scratch on the paint. 

Inside the suit, Hotana wasn't even piloting the suit. He sat in the pilots' seat with his hands in a prayer form and chanting.

"Pacoa Sumfa." He chanted, "Pacoa Sumfa. Pacoa Sumfa. Pacoa Sumfa." 

As he continued to chant the suit continued to evade more of the Gundam attacks. The next onslaught came from the Wing Zero and the Sandrock. The Sandrock tried to slice at the Violator but the blades came into contact with nothing. The suit was simply too slow to catch up with the enemy. It frustrated Quatre to try this hard to fight it and yet it was dodging him as if it were as easy as skipping stones. 

Next the Wing Zero tried using it's buster rifle against the suit. Heero brought the rifle forward and aimed at the Violator. He watched as the target light stayed green until it was right on target, it turned red and beeped loudly. He pulled the trigger, the particles gathered at the barrel of the Buster Rifle and then it discharged like a Roman candle. Still, even the beam from the buster rifle was too slow for the Violator. 

It evaded the attack and came up to the Wing Zero with it's gun out and ready to fire. It's end shinned yellow as Heero starred down it's barrel, he grabbed the controls and drew out his beam saber. He went for the powerhouse on the suits shoulder. He rammed in the saber into it while it was still working. It caused the powerhouse to chain react within itself and exploded leaving the suit with one arm.

This reaction angered Hotana; he brought up the left arm of the Violator against the Wing Zero. It's heat rod whipped out of the shield burning with its own internal fire. The heat rod was powerful enough to slice through the Wing Zero. It made an upward swing, it sliced through the right Gundanium feathered wing as well as the right arm. It had become an eye for an eye, except Hotana wanted an extra sweetener to his revenge against this Gundam. 

Heero didn't know how to feel about this, now only had he lost the right wing and the right arm but he had lost the beam saber. Heero reached for the caster feeling it's weight in his hands while he watched the next planned move made by Preventer. 

The Gundam Nemesis came up behind the Violator and held it tightly. The Violator tried desperately to get free, but it was no use. The Nemesis had its heat rod wrapped around its legs like a lasso. 

Haruka called to Heero, "Heero, do it now!" 

Heero opened the door of the Wing Zero with the caster in his hand. He aimed the odd gun at the Violator as it tried to spread its Tao shield. The shield came up shinning blue but also sparking from the foreign object on the Violators back. Heero pulled the trigger expecting something to happen instantly like a normal gun but he watched as two rings began to glow yellow and spin in opposite directions and the blast came out. The blast fired out of the caster and right at the Tao shield. The blast engulfed the shield and it disintegrated leaving the shield plates useless. They began to float like dead fish in a pond, now the Violator was defenseless and powerless. 

Haruka was the one to say the line, "Kei Pirate Hotana, you are in violation of the World Nation and Space Colony code that no personnel other than Preventer officers are allowed mobile suits for military purposes. You are also found guilty of conspiring to commit murder. You have the right to surrender."

"Never!" Hotana screamed from within the mobile suit, "I won't be beaten! Pacoa Sumfa! Pacoa Sumfa! Pacoa Sumfa!"

"Heero!" Haruka called, "Use another caster shell!" 

Heero was already on the task; he opened up the caster to find that the shell he had fired was gone. Where had that shell he loaded gone? He fired it but normally when a gun is fired the shell is left over. Though that didn't take over his mind, all he could concentrate on was loading another caster. He looked into the gun belt and pulled out whatever caster shell he could grab onto. He didn't notice that the shell that he grabbed onto was a number 9 shell. Still his logic wasn't in motion in the heat of battle. He loaded the shell and pulled the trigger. 

Along the casters shaft the rings that spun yellow were now spinning in opposite directions with the color purple. The gun itself began to shake as if somewhere within it there was a motor making it shake and wobble like a rumble pack for a video game. Heero brought up his other hand to keep it steady and from the casters nozzle came a black sphere that sparked purple as it headed to the Violator. 

Heero watched as the sphere blended itself into the background of space only giving away its position by blocking out the light of the stars. The sphere landed right on the door of the cockpit and in one burst of action and energy the parts, paint and all other miscellaneous items that used to be the Violator flew apart like an exploding modeling kit. All that was left of the Violator was the half-scrapped cockpit that sat floating in space with the Gundam Nemesis still in tact behind it. 

Sitting in this torn up version of the cockpit was Hotana who sat dumbfounded, he couldn't' believe that someone in this universe would have a caster. Then after all of this had happened he felt tired and fell unconscious into endless black. 

That wasn't the end of it. _They'll drain your life away, _Gene had warned Heero, and now it was time to pay the price. Heero saw purple sparks come from the same position that the sphere had landed. They reached for him and he felt like someone was sucking every ounce of power that his body was producing like a juice pack. 

"AAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Heero screamed as the caster catalyst was taken from Heero Yuy. 

He sat back in the Wing Zero's cockpit grabbing his chest through his space suit. He breathed in the artificial air heavily. It almost sounded as if he was having a heart attack, and his head was feeling very dizzy like coming off of a face paced roller coaster.

"The damn thing was supposed to drain my life away huh?" Heero asked, "I should have checked which shell I was using." 

****

Q 

On the other side of the battlefield, the Outlaw Star was having a hell of a time trying to beat the Ki. It was like watching a boxing match in space, both ships circled around each other throwing fists from their grappler arms at one another's hulls. This was the distraction; they didn't want to destroy the ship because Gene had a feeling that this ship was the key to getting back home. As he vigorously piloted the Outlaw Star he thought about when he watched the Ki slip into the gate. He noticed that the ship was needed to do it. The ship needed to be in tact, so a plan had to be devised in order to secure the ship. 

"Jim!" Gene shouted

"What?" Jim asked holding onto his seat making sure that he didn't fly out of it like a crash dummy. He did this even though the seatbelt was holding him in. 

"Can you sabotage the computer to disable it?" 

"I don't think I can." Jim stated still bracing his body into his seat, "We need to launch the anchors into the Ki, and even if we did that he'd pull away from us!"

"Shit!" Gene cursed as he kept pulling and tugging the controls to avoid the Ki's onslaughts, "Let's hope the Preventers can figure out something."

****

Q 

"You're finished, Hotana." Johan said sitting in the cockpit of his Gundam Ryu.

"I think not." Hotana smiled as he reached for something in the pocket of his space suit. He pulled out a small pad that looked something similar to a palm pilot. On the little LCD screen of this palm pilot looking controller there was a message that read, PLEASE CONFIRM SEQUENCE. Hotana pressed the screen with his space-gloved hand like a man trying to dial a cell phone with ski gloves on. Yet, the command was given and Hotana was laughing at his own actions. He let go of the controller as he sat back in his half-scrapped cockpit that used to be the Gundam Violator. The controller floated off into space as the screen displayed numbers counting down from 30. 

Heero's keen eye caught a glimpse of the controller and his instincts told him to act quickly. In his woozy state from firing the caster shell he climbed back into the cockpit to make a call to the Outlaw Star. 

His eye caught the numbers on the pad. 

25…

He pressed the call button and made the warning, "Outlaw Star! Outlaw Star, come in!"

The response was less than quick, "I'm a little busy, Heero." Gene stated

Heero ignored this and had to tell, "Gene, get out of there! The Ki is about to self-destruct!"

20…

On the Outlaw Star the message was heard by the whole crew, all of them knew that if they were this close to the Ki they could be killed along with it. Gene on the other hand had to face a grim reality that if the Ki were to be blown up then there would be no chance of getting home. Still he felt that his life as well as the life of his crew outweighed the possibility of ever getting home. He decided to use all the weapons he had.

"Jim!" Gene called, "Fire all missiles at the Ki." 

"Got it." Jim complied as he pushed the firing button several times sending all the cache of missile that the Outlaw Star had right at the Ki. They were close enough to watch the missiles impact the hull and when the missiles came within visual range, Gene pulled hard back on the controls throwing the Outlaw Star into full reverse. He wanted to get as far away as possible. With only a few milliseconds before impact Gene could only get a few hundred yards away before the missiles detonated. 

The Ki exploded with an enormous burst of light and energy from whatever kinds of missiles and other explosives that were in its hull. They watched as the ship of the enemy went down in flames like a sinking ship but also watched the only ticket the Outlaw Six ever had of getting home. Watching each part combust, flame and then be extinguished by the vacuum of space was like watching a house burn down to ashes on the ground. A truly heart wrenching experience to watch even for the Outlaw Six. 

"How we will get home now?" Gene asked aloud

While in the middle of the Gundams, Hotana was still laughing maniacally from the action he took. He knew too that the ship was the only way home and he had just destroyed it. Thus trapping himself and the Outlaws here with him. It was so farcically sad that he couldn't help but laugh about it all through the intercoms of the Gundam cockpits and the Outlaw Star Bridge. 

****

Q 

Back on the Preventer Ship Tabris, the situation was assessed. The Ki was destroyed from a self-destruct sequence from Hotana, who is held in Tabris' brig. However to make sure that Hotana wouldn't try any Tao magic on anyone, Gene was given guard duty with the caster gun and the shells he had on hand. The idea was that if Hotana would try anything funny he would use the caster against him. 

The debriefing was made to both the Preventer officers and the Outlaw Six. The feeling among all of those who were in that room was grim and nearly hopeless. 

"Looks like we're stuck here." Jim sulked, "There goes our 1 billion Wong bounty we went for. Gene was right, big bounties are always a problem, but I never expected this." 

"Cheer up." Quatre smiled, "This place isn't that bad, if you stay here, you'll get used to it."

"But we don't belong here." Jim moaned, "Our place is back in the Toward Star World, even now I miss being back on Sentinel 3 and always worrying about our money situation."

"Not only that," Asia pointed out, "But also how's a Ctarl-Ctarl supposed to make it in a universe like this? The people here have never even seen a proud Ctarl-Ctarl before. How am I supposed to live with that?"

"Would you rather have died when that ship blew up?" Heero coldly asked. The statement was cold hearted yet it was true. Which would have been better? To have been killed by a ship that was about to self-destruct or try to live in an unfamiliar place?

"Heero does have a point." Johan agreed, "It is a perplexing situation to deal with, however I don't buy the fact that you are stuck here."

The Outlaw Six looked over to Johan with questioning faces, "What do you mean?" Sazuka asked.

"We experienced a similar problem like this a month or so ago." Johan told, "The persons who visited us had lost their method of getting back home. Then suddenly without any expectations the tear reappeared and they went home. So my guess is we just have to keep our eyes open and the tear will present itself."

There was hope hidden in the face of Sazuka like a snake under a rock. Yet the hope was very well presented on the joyous looks of Asia and Melphina. Except Jim still looked questioning at Johan.

"You said you've experienced this before." He restated, "You mean you've had other visitors to this universe?"

"Yes." Johan answered, "I think about four times, your group being the fourth."

Jim cupped his chin; "It almost sounds like there's a wormhole in this universe. One end here and the other choosing alternate time lines and alternate worlds at random."

Trowa shook his head, "I'm not so sure if it's random." He said, "It almost seems like there's a higher power controlling it, perhaps God or fate. Who knows."

Jim shrugged, "At least there's some hope in all this." 

Quatre stood and made his suggestion, "In the meantime you can stay and enjoy all that we have to offer you."

"Thank you, Quatre." Jim smiled

****

Q 

Down in the brig, Gene Starwind stood with the caster in his hand and looking at Hotana chained up like a beast in a cage behind bars. That was all he could do ever since Gene took over as a guard for this despicable creature. Finally, after a few minutes the laughing got to Gene, he had to know. 

"What the hell's so funny, buddy?" He asked pointing the caster at him

"You're trapped here Outlaw." Hotana laughed, "The Ki brought us here and now it's gone, your stuck here with me."

Gene knew that Hotana was right and his laughing made Gene's anger grow even more. It was like being the kid whose picked on a playground. It feels infuriating as well as feeling hopeless. Gene wanted nothing more than to just aim the caster at Hotana and pull the trigger, but he couldn't. Even though the situation looked grim, Gene remembered how his own good luck brought him out of the most dire of situations. All he had to do was be patient.

Gene kept looking at the maniacally laughing Hotana hating him even more with each passing moment.

Beep! Beep!

A call was coming in for Gene on his personal COM device. The Com device was actually the dot of an earring on his left ear lobe. He answered the call. 

"Yeah?" He answered

As if listening through a phone Gene heard Jim's voice.

"Hey, Gene!" He called, he sounded as giddy as a school boy not knowing what to do with his hands.

"What is it, Jim?" He asked

"We found the tear! We found it! We found it!"

The news sent shivers and chills all through Gene's body. He knew that he could go home, he felt as if he had been in this place for a very long time. 

"At least." He thought, "I can pay off my debts, watch out Fred Lowe, here comes Lucky Star Gene, and he's got money!" 

****

Q 

The Preventer Ship Tabris sat at the foot of the tear waiting to drop off its passengers. Inside there was a small farewell for the Outlaw Six. Meanwhile, the Outlaw Star was ready to go, with Hotana under sedation and fast asleep. All of them stood within the mobile suit bay, the Outlaw Six in a single file line with the officers of Preventer on the other side in the same single file fashion. 

At least until Quatre came forward with a special gift in his arms. He was hauling an enormous steel box that was the size of a tower computer case. The case was so heavy for Quatre that Asia came over to him and helped him carry it. The two brought the box to the feet of the Outlaw Six.

"What's in the box?" Gene asked

"This is your reward for helping us capture this pirate of yours." Quatre explained as he reached for the lid. He opened it and in the box the Outlaw Six gazed at gold bars. They gazed with money hungry eyes into the box as the bars cast their yellow highlight across their faces.

"How much is this worth?" Gene asked

Jim quickly pulled out his computer and looked at the gold estimating their weight, mass and value. He pushed the enter key to find out the total value. But the value that came up on his screen was so big that he calculated the value again. It was the same, he turned his head towards Gene with eyes that looked like they wanted to cry with joy.

"5…" He paused to tell the amount, "5 million… Wong."

Gene smiled, "With this gold we can pay off Fred. With this 1 billion dollar bounty that means we each get 20 million Wong each."

Jim looked to the officer of Preventer and he wanted to hug each of them for their enormous generosity. 

"How can we thank all of you?" He asked

Johan stepped forward, "Our reward is that another flame has been stomped out before it became a fire."

"Damn." Johan thought in silence, "That was probably the corniest thing I've ever heard."

Gene looked at the Gundam pilots to see all those faces that reminded him of his lost youth. Ever since he was 14 he had to survive on his own, never relying on anyone. The faces of the Gundams showed him that he wasn't the only one that had lost something in his past.

He reached down to his gun belt and pulled out two of the remaining caster shells. He looked at them thinking of how he used these and his caster gun against pirates. Suddenly, he felt as though the fight was over. He tossed one caster shell to Johan and then the other to Heero. Thanks to the low gravity, the shells floated ever so slowly to Johan and Heero.

The two Gundam pilots caught the shells looking at their designs and patterns on the golden case.

"What are you giving them to us for?" Johan asked

Gene smiled, "Keep them as a souvenir, I don't need them anymore."

Johan slipped the shell into his pocket, "Thank you." He said, "May your days be long and happy."

Heero smiled holding the caster shell in his palm.

Trowa and Wufei waved

Duo and Alexandria gave thumbs up to the Outlaw Six.

"Take care of yourselves." Quatre wished

Gene nodded, "Thank you all for your hospitality."

Jim winked, "It's been fun here." 

Asia raised her fist, "May you all have the strength of the Ctarl-Ctarl."  
Sazuka bowed her head to the officers of Preventer. 

"It was wonderful being here." Melphina smiled

Asia took the steel box of gold and held it over her head, while Gene turned to his crew, "Let's go home." He said. 

****

Q 

From behind a protective barrier of glass the officers of Preventer watched the red grappler ship called the Outlaw Star fire up their engines like something out of the Batman series. Slowly it made its way out of the mobile suit bay like a great tortoise. It became smaller and smaller until the Outlaw Star was within the tear. After a few minutes of watching the Outlaw Star leave it was enveloped by the tear and the Outlaw Star vanished.

Meanwhile onboard the Outlaw Star, Gene was overjoyed that was shown by the cat-like smile on his face. He was home, the tear was closed, Hotana's gate was destroyed after they came through the tear. Not only that but Gene was sitting on a really big bounty. 

"Jim." He called laughing in between each phrase, "Make a call to the Space Forces, tell them we have Hotana and lets call up Fred Lowe and tell him we can pay him."

Jim made the call and the Space Forces reluctantly paid the Outlaw Six the 1 billion Wong bounty that was promised. Though when the Space Forces didn't want to pay up, Gene simply threatened that he'd let Hotana go unless he was paid. The space Forces had no choice, they had to pay and thus Hotana was turned in. 

Fred Lowe on the other hand was in a bit of disbelief to find Gene and Jim returned safely. Though he wanted to know what is to be done about Gene's extensive bill. 

At the time that the question was asked, Asia brought in the steel box and flung it onto Fred's desk to show him the gold. 

Fred's accountants told him that the gold actually came to 6 million Wong, but Gene decided to give that 1 million to Fred as a savings for when he might need parts.

Then again with the money they raked in, they wont' be worrying about debt for a very, very long time. 

If they didn't live happily ever after, at least they didn't have to worry about money anymore. 

****

Q 

Back in the Gundam Universe, Lady Une sat at her desk working on the reports of what has happened in the last few days. She had come to the part about the last battle between the Pirate Hotana and Preventer, when a knock came at the door. She looked up at the door and wondered who it was.

"Come in." She said

The door opened, in walked Miliardo Peacecraft and Kazuki Peacecraft, brothers standing side by side. Lady Une brought her hands together and laid them on her desk.

"Miliardo." She said, "Kazuki, what can I do for you?" She asked

Both Kazuki and Miliardo stood at attention.

"Lady Une." Kazuki stated very clearly, "I Kazuki Peacecraft code name: Preventer Shark, request a resignation as a mobile suit pilot and a transfer to the Mars colonization project. The same request has come in from the Desbats."

Miliardo made his statement, "I, Miliardo Peacecraft. Code name: Preventer Wind, request the same resignation and transfer."

Lady Une took in a deep breath and slid back into her hair. She looked at the brothers and saw the genuineness in their eyes. She knew that they had been Gundam pilots long enough. Not only that but the Mars project was short on manpower and these men are the kind they could use. 

Lady Une stood up straight and tall, "Very well" she said, "I will make the formal resignation and transfer official. Both of you know what to do with your mobile suits."

"Yes, Ma'am." Kazuki and Miliardo said in unison.

"You're free to leave as soon as you're able." She smiled and saluted, "Good luck to you both."

Kazuki and Miliardo saluted and left the room quietly leaving Lady Une to deal with the paper work of this latest event. She knew that Miliardo wanted to be with Noin but she felt that Kazuki simply wanted to be in a different line of work.

"Let them be happy with the path they chose." Lady Une wished as she continued her work. 

**End . . .? **

Author's Notes: I've liked happy endings such as this, where all the problems are solved, but I do know that not all problems can be solved with money. Someone once said to me, "Money may not be first, but it ain't second or third, baby!" However with the resignation of Kazuki and Miliardo Peacecraft I figured that I should do that because in the original story Miliardo was already on his way to the Mars Project, so I figured that Kazuki should join him. As for Kazuki's reasons to leave Preventer, he already made them clear. 

Come back soon for more stories that I may create in the future. 


End file.
